Black hole in a uniform magnetic field

Abstract

Using the fact that a Killing vector in a vacuum spacetime serves as a vector potential for a Maxwell test field, we derive the solution for the electromagnetic field occurring when a stationary, axisymmetric black hole is placed in an originally uniform magnetic field aligned along the symmetry axis of the black hole. It is shown that a black hole in a magnetic field will selectively accrete charges until its charge becomes $Q=2\mathrm{}{\mathrm{Bb}}_{0}J$, where $B_0$ is the strength of the magnetic field and $J$ is the angular momentum of the black hole. As a by-product of the analysis given here, we prove that the gyromagnetic ratio of a slightly charged, stationary, axisymmetric black hole (not assumed to be Kerr) must have the value $g=2\mathrm{}$.