Analytic Solution for the Motion of Spinning Particles in Kerr Spacetime

The equations of motion of massive test particles near Kerr black holes are separable in Boyer-Lindquist coordinates, as established by Carter. This separability, however, is lost when the particles are endowed with classical spin. We show that separability of the equations of motion can be recovered to linear order in spin by a shift of the worldline derived with the use of the hidden symmetry of Kerr spacetime. Consequently, the closed-form solution of the motion is expressed in a way closely analogous to the solution for spinless particles. This finding enriches the understanding of separability and integrability properties of the dynamics of test particles and fields in Kerr spacetime and is particularly valuable for modeling inspirals of rotating compact objects into massive black holes.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physical Review Letters
Published
2025-04-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.134.171401
Citations
15
Primary Topic
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
17.32
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article

Analytic Solution for the Motion of Spinning Particles in Kerr Spacetime

Vojtěch Witzany, Viktor Skoupý
15 citations
Physical Review Letters
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
17.32
article

Analytic Solution for the Motion of Spinning Particles in Kerr Spacetime

Vojtěch Witzany, Viktor Skoupý
article en
15 citations

Abstract

The equations of motion of massive test particles near Kerr black holes are separable in Boyer-Lindquist coordinates, as established by Carter. This separability, however, is lost when the particles are endowed with classical spin. We show that separability of the equations of motion can be recovered to linear order in spin by a shift of the worldline derived with the use of the hidden symmetry of Kerr spacetime. Consequently, the closed-form solution of the motion is expressed in a way closely analogous to the solution for spinless particles. This finding enriches the understanding of separability and integrability properties of the dynamics of test particles and fields in Kerr spacetime and is particularly valuable for modeling inspirals of rotating compact objects into massive black holes.

Physical Review LettersVol. 134(17)
Charles University (CZ)
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
17.32
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Analytic Solution for the Motion of Spinning Particles in Kerr Spacetime — Vojtěch Witzany, Viktor Skoupý · Physical Review Letters (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS