Spin effects in gravitational radiation backreaction I. The Lense-Thirring approximation

Abstract

The gravitational radiation backreaction effects are considered in the Lense-Thirring approximation. New methods for parameterizing the orbit and for averaging the instantaneous radiative losses are developed. To first order in the spin S of the black hole, both in the absence and in the presence of gravitational radiation, a complete description of the test-particle orbit is given. This is achieved by two improvements over the existing descriptions. First, by introducing new angle variables with a straightforward geometrical meaning. Second, by finding a new parametrization of a generic orbit, which assures that the integration over a radial period can be done in an especially simple way, by applying the residue theorem. The instantaneous radiation losses of the system are computed using the formulation of Blanchet, Damour and Iyer(1989). All losses are given both in terms of the dynamical constants of motion and the properly defined orbital elements $a,e,ι$ and $Ψ_0$. The radiative losses of the constants characterizing the Lense-Thirring motion, when suitably converted, are in agreement with earlier results of Kidder, Will and Wiseman(1993), Ryan(1996) and Shibata(1994). In addition, the radiative losses of two slowly changing orbital elements $Ψ_0,Φ_0$ are given in order to complete the characterization of the orbit.