Exact solution for the simplest binary system of Kerr black holes

Abstract

The full metric describing two counter-rotating identical Kerr black holes separated by a massless strut is derived in the explicit analytical form. It contains three arbitrary parameters which are the Komar mass M, Komar angular momentum per unit mass a of one of the black holes (the other has the same mass and equal but opposite angular momentum) and the coordinate distance R between the centers of the horizons. In the limit of extreme black holes, the metric becomes a special member of the Kinnersly-Chitre five-parameter family of vacuum solutions generalizing the Tomimatsu-Sato delta=2 spacetime, and we present the complete set of metrical fields defining this limit.

9 pages, 1 figure, typos corrected, a footnote on p.6 extended