About

About#

pybhpt is a collection of numerical tools for analyzing perturbations of Kerr spacetime, particularly the self-forces and metric-perturbations experienced by small bodies moving in a Kerr background.

Subpackages#

  • pybhpt.geo: generates bound periodic timelike geodesics in Kerr spacetime

  • pybhpt.radial: calculates homogeneous solutions of the radial Teukolsky equation

  • pybhpt.swsh: constructs the spin-weighted spheroidal harmonics

  • pybhpt.teuk: evaluates inhomogeneous solutions (Teukolsky amplitudes) of the radial Teukolsky equation due to a point-particle on a bound timelike Kerr geodesic

  • pybhpt.flux: produces gravitational wave fluxes sourced by a point-particle on a generic bound timelike Kerr geodesic

  • pybhpt.hertz: solves for the Hertz potentials for the CCK and AAB metric reconstruction procedures

  • pybhpt.metric: produces coefficients needed to reconstruct the metric from the Hertz potentials

  • pybhpt.redshift: computes the generalized Detweiler redshift invariant in a variety of gauges

One can find out more information about each module by exploring the User Guides or clicking on the subpackages, which are linked to the API.

References#

Theoretical background for the code and explanations of the numerical methods used within are summarized in the references below:

  • Z. Nasipak, Metric reconstruction and the Hamiltonian for eccentric, precessing binaries in the small-mass-ratio limit (2025) arXiv:2507.07746

  • Z. Nasipak, An adiabatic gravitational waveform model for compact objects undergoing quasi-circular inspirals into rotating massive black holes, Phys. Rev. D 109, 044020 (2024) arXiv:2310.19706

  • Z. Nasipak, Adiabatic evolution due to the conservative scalar self-force during orbital resonances, Phys. Rev. D 106, 064042 (2022) arXiv:2207.02224

Authors#

Zachary Nasipak

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