Scalar self-force on eccentric geodesics in Schwarzschild spacetime: a time-domain computation

Abstract

We calculate the self-force acting on a particle with scalar charge moving on a generic geodesic around a Schwarzschild black hole. This calculation requires an accurate computation of the retarded scalar field produced by the moving charge; this is done numerically with the help of a fourth-order convergent finite-difference scheme formulated in the time domain. The calculation also requires a regularization procedure, because the retarded field is singular on the particle's world line; this is handled mode-by-mode via the mode-sum regularization scheme first introduced by Barack and Ori. This paper presents the numerical method, various numerical tests, and a sample of results for mildly eccentric orbits as well as ``zoom-whirl'' orbits.