Light Curves of Chaotic Charged Hot-Spots in Curved Spacetime: Opening an Observational Window to Chaos

The observed scarcity of chaotic phenomena in astronomy contrasts sharply with their theoretical significance, primarily due to the absence of a robust framework for detecting chaos. In this study, we numerically simulate the light curves of hot-spots in Kerr spacetime under the influence of an external asymptotically uniform electromagnetic field. Our results reveal a clear distinction between the light curves of chaotic and regular hot-spots, particularly in their power spectra: the latter display isolated, sharp peaks, while the former exhibit broad, continuous peaks of low amplitude. These findings highlight the potential of using light curves as a probe for chaotic orbits in curved spacetime.