Detecting vector charge with extreme mass ratio inspirals onto Kerr black holes

Understand

Extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) are excellent sources for space-based observatories to explore the properties of black holes and test no-hair theorems.

• We consider EMRIs with a charged compact object inspiralling onto a Kerr black hole in quasi-circular orbits.
• Using the Teukolsky and generalized Sasaki-Nakamura formalisms for the gravitational and vector perturbations about a Kerr black hole, we numerically calculate the energy fluxes for both gravitational and vector perturbations induced by a charged particle moving in equatorial circular orbits.
• With one-year observations of EMRIs, we apply the Fisher information matrix method to estimate the charge uncertainty detected by space-based gravitational wave detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, TianQin, and Taiji, and we find that it is possible to detect vector charge as small as $q\sim 0.0049$.