Dynamical transitions in scalarization and descalarization through black hole accretion

Understand

We present the first fully nonlinear study on the accretion of scalar fields onto a seed black hole in anti-de Sitter spacetime in Einstein-Maxwell-scalar theory.

• Intrinsic critical phenomena in the dynamical transition between the bald and scalarized black holes are disclosed.
• In scalarizations, the transition is discontinuous and a metastable black hole acts as an attractor at the threshold.
• We construct a new physical mechanism to dynamically descalarize an isolated scalarized black hole.