Perturbations of Black Holes

Abstract

The theory of non-charged, either static or rotating, black hole perturbations is reviewed in this chapter. Perturbations are classified into axial and polar. Their equations decouple and reduce to Schrodinger wave equations. Special attention is paid to quasi-normal modes for black holes and how they can be excited, since gravitational waves are emitted at their frequencies and they appear in many dynamical processes.