Binary superradiance: a numerical study

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that superradiant instabilities can occur in binary systems of absorbing objects, including highly asymmetric ones, with potential implications for astrophysics and fluid dynamics, and suggests binaries could detect ultralight particles.

Contribution

First numerical demonstration of superradiant instabilities in highly asymmetric binary systems, expanding understanding of superradiance beyond symmetric cases.

Findings

Superradiant instabilities occur in binary systems on expected timescales.

Highly asymmetric binaries can exhibit superradiance, previously unconfirmed.

Implications for detecting ultralight particles in astrophysical black hole binaries.

Abstract

Rotating axisymmetric objects amplify incoming waves by superradiant scattering. When enclosed in a cavity, the repeated interaction of a confined field with the object may trigger superradiant instabilities. Rotating binaries are ubiquitous in physics, and play a fundamental role in astrophysics and in everyday life instruments. Such binaries may be prone to superradiant phenomena as well, but their inherent complexity makes it challenging to study how exactly such instabilities can be triggered. Here, we study a binary of two absorbing objects (mimicking black hole binaries, blades of an helicopter, etc) revolving around a common center, and show that superradiant instabilities do occur, on expected timescales and frequency range. Our results provide the first demonstration that superradiance also occurs for highly asymmetric systems, and may have a wealth of applications in fluid dynamics and astrophysics. Extrapolating to astrophysical black holes, our findings indicate that compact binaries may be used as interesting particle detectors, depositing a fraction of their energy into putative new fundamental ultralight degrees of freedom.