Scattering from Black Holes

J. A. H. Futterman, F. A. Handler, Richard Alfred Matzner9780521112109, 0521112109

This book investigates the propagation of waves in the presence of black holes. Astrophysical black holes may eventually be probed by these techniques. The authors emphasise intuitive physical thinking in their treatment of the techniques of analysis of scattering, but alternate this with chapters on the rigourous mathematical development of the subject. High and low energy limiting cases are treated extensively and semi-classical results are also obtained. The analogy between Newtonian gravitational scattering and Coulomb quantum mechanical scattering is fully exploited. The book introduces the concepts of scattering by considering the simplest, scalar wave case of scattering by a spherical black hole. It then develops the formalism of spin-weighted spheroidal harmonics and of plane wave representations for neutrino, electromagnetic and gravitational scattering. Research workers and graduate and advanced undergraduate students in scattering theory, wave propagation and relativity will find this a comprehensive treatment of the topic.