The Formation of Non-Keplerian Rings of Matter about Compact Stars

Abstract

The formation of energetic rings of matter in a Kerr spacetime with an outward pointing acceleration field does not appear to have previously been noted as a relativistic effect. In this paper we show that such rings are a gravimagneto effect with no Newtonian analog, and that they do not occur in the static limit. The energy efficiency of these rings can (depending of the strength of the acceleration field) be much greater than that of Keplerian disks. Counter-intuitively these rings rotate in a direction opposite to that of compact star about which they form. The size and energy efficiency of the rings depend on the fundamental parameters of the spacetime as well as the strength the acceleration field.