Feeding a Kerr black hole with quantized vortices

TL;DR

This paper investigates the behavior of quantized vortices in quantum fluids near Kerr black holes, revealing their formation, stability, and effects on black hole physics, with implications for dark matter models and astrophysical phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a nonlinear Klein-Gordon framework to analyze vortices in Kerr geometry, uncovering their dynamics, stability, and potential as probes for black hole physics, which is a novel approach in this context.

Findings

Vortices can stably orbit Kerr black holes, enabling new probes of frame-dragging effects.

Large vortices are accreted, split, and reconnect near the black hole.

Turbulent flows and vortex emissions occur beyond the ergosphere, linked to astrophysical events.

Abstract

By solving a nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation in Kerr geometry, we uncover new phenomena and key characteristics of quantized vortices in quantum fluids near a Kerr black hole. The formation of these vortices induces rotational or turbulent flows, which profoundly alter the fluid properties and revise those dark matter models describing axion condensates, ultralight boson clouds, and other scalar fields in the vicinity of spinning black holes. As macroscopic, quantum, and topological defects, these vortices can stably orbit the black hole over extended periods, establishing their viability as novel probes for investigating black hole physics. For instance, we calculate the angular velocities of orbiting vortices to quantitatively characterize the frame-dragging effect, a classic prediction of general relativity. Additionally, we observe that relatively large vortices are accreted onto the black hole, wrapping around it while undergoing splitting and reconnecting processes. In quantum fluids with high vortex densities, turbulent flows emerge, accompanied by the formation of a vortex boundary layer near the event horizon. Beyond the ergosphere, we find vortex emissions and energetic outbursts, which may provide crucial insights into analogous astrophysical events recently discovered by the XRISM satellite.