On the stability of a superspinar

Abstract

The superspinar proposed by Gimon and Hořava is a rapidly rotating compact entity whose exterior is described by the over-spinning Kerr geometry. The compact entity itself is expected to be governed by superstringy effects, and in astrophysical scenarios it can give rise to interesting observable phenomena. Earlier it was suggested that the superspinar may not be stable but we point out here that this does not necessarily follow from earlier studies. We show, by analytically treating the Teukolsky equations by Detwiler's method, that in fact there are infinitely many boundary conditions that make the superspinar stable at least against the linear perturbations of m=l modes, and that the modes will decay in time. Further consideration leads us to the conclusion that it is possible to set the inverse problem to the linear stability issue: since the radial Teukolsky equation for the superspinar has no singular point on the real axis, we obtain regular solutions to the Teukolsky equation for arbitrary discrete frequency spectrum of the quasi-normal modes (no incoming waves) and the boundary conditions at the “surface” of the superspinar are found from obtained solutions. It follows that we need to know more on the physical nature of the superspinar in order to decide on its stability in physical reality.