The vanishing of the non-linear static love number of Kerr black holes and the role of symmetries

Abstract We investigate the tidal response of Kerr black holes in four-dimensional spacetimes subjected to external gravitational fields. Using the Ernst formalism and Weyl coordinates, we analyze the non-linear tidal deformation of rotating black holes and demonstrate that their static tidal Love numbers vanish at all orders of the external tidal field. We also show that this result is intimately related to the presence of underlying non-linear symmetries. Our analysis generalizes previous findings for Schwarzschild black holes and confirms the robustness of four-dimensional black holes against tidal forces.