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General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology, gr-qc, Astrophysics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, astro-ph.HE,High Energy Physics - Theory, hep-th
Abstract:
Particular couplings between a scalar field and the Gauss-Bonnet invariant
lead to spontaneous scalarization of black holes. Here we continue our work on
simulating this phenomenon in the context of binary black hole systems. We
consider a negative coupling for which the black-hole spin plays a major role
in the scalarization process. We find two main phenomena: (i) dynamical
descalarization, in which initially scalarized black holes form an unscalarized
remnant, and (ii) dynamical scalarization, whereby the late merger of initially
unscalarized black holes can cause scalar hair to grow. An important
consequence of the latter case is that modifications to the gravitational
waveform due to the scalar field may only occur post-merger, as its presence is
hidden during the entirety of the inspiral. However, with a sufficiently strong
coupling, we find that scalarization can occur before the remnant has even
formed. We close with a discussion of observational implications for
gravitational-wave tests of general relativity.
