Boyer–Lindquist coordinates
Coordinates generalizing Schwarzschild metric for Kerr black holes.
Boyer–Lindquist coordinates are a generalization of the coordinates used for the metric of a Schwarzschild black hole, employed to express the metric of a Kerr black hole in the mathematical description of general relativity. They are named after Robert Hamilton Boyer and Richard W. Lindquist, who introduced them in a 1967 paper.
- Field
- General relativity, black hole physics
- Known for
- Introducing Boyer–Lindquist coordinates for the Kerr metric
- Born
- Not specified in source
- Died
- Robert Hamilton Boyer was killed in the 1966 University of Texas tower shooting at age 33
- Nationality
- Not specified in source
Lore & Background
The 1967 paper introducing Boyer–Lindquist coordinates by Richard W. Lindquist was also a posthumous publication for Dr. Robert Hamilton Boyer, who was killed in the 1966 University of Texas tower shooting at age 33. The coordinates are a generalization of the coordinates used for the metric of a Schwarzschild black hole and can be used to express the metric of a Kerr black hole.
Reader's Guide
Boyer–Lindquist coordinates are significant because they provide a standard framework for describing the spacetime geometry of rotating (Kerr) black holes. The Hamiltonian for particle motion in Kerr spacetime is separable in these coordinates, and using Hamilton–Jacobi theory one can derive a fourth constant of the motion known as Carter's constant. The line element in these coordinates describes the Kerr–Newman metric, with parameters for mass, angular momentum, and charge. The coordinate transformation from Boyer–Lindquist coordinates to Cartesian coordinates is also defined. Their introduction in 1967 remains a foundational tool in black hole physics.
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