2014

Revised upper limit to energy extraction from a Kerr black hole

Schnittman, Jeremy D.

Understand

We present a new upper limit on the energy that may be extracted from a Kerr black hole by means of particle collisions in the ergosphere (i.e., the "collisional Penrose process").

  • Earlier work on this subject has focused largely on particles with critical values of angular momentum falling into an extremal Kerr black hole from infinity and colliding just outside the horizon.
  • While these collisions are able to reach arbitrarily high center-of-mass energies, it is very difficult for the reaction products to escape back to infinity, effectively limiting the peak efficiency of such a process to roughly $130\%$.
  • When we allow one of the initial particles to have impact parameter $b > 2M$, and thus not get captured by the horizon, it is able to collide along outgoing trajectories, greatly increasing the chance that the products can escape.

Built on

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Similar

Then

  • T. Harada, H. Nemoto, and U. Miyamoto, Phys. Rev. D, 86

    2012

    Later among the works it cites.

  • M. Bejger, T. Piran, M. Abramowicz, and F. Hakanson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 109

    2012

    Later among the works it cites.

  • S. T. McWilliams, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110

    2013

    Later among the works it cites.

  • J. D. Schnittman and J. H. Krolik, Astroph. J. 777

    2013

    Later among the works it cites.

  • J. D. Schnittman, Astroph. J. in prep. (2014)

    2014

    Closest in time.

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