Kerr Perihelion Precession via the Laplace-Runge-Lenz Vector Method

TL;DR

This paper calculates the perihelion precession around a Kerr black hole using a modified Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector method, providing a clear interpretation of frame dragging effects up to first order in spin.

Contribution

It introduces a modified LRL vector approach that accounts for frame dragging, offering a transparent derivation of Lense-Thirring precession in Kerr spacetime.

Findings

Derived the first-order perihelion precession in Kerr spacetime.

Reinterpreted frame dragging effects within the LRL vector framework.

Provided a perturbative method that preserves Keplerian orbit form.

Abstract

We calculate, up to the first-order in the black hole spin, the perihelion precession of a test particle in the equatorial plane of a Kerr black hole using the perturbative Laplace-Runge-Lenz (LRL) vector method. To account for the dragging of inertial frames, we modify the LRL vector by incorporating a counteracting term in the angular momentum, which preserves the Keplerian orbit form to first order. We derive the standard Lense-Thirring precession result, leading to a transparent reinterpretation of known results, clarifying the role of frame dragging in LRL-based perturbation methods.