Energy Extraction From Non-Coalescing Black Hole Binaries

Abstract: We define and sketch the generalized ergosphere of the Majumdar-Papapetrou (MP) spacetime. In particular, we demonstrate the existence of closed orbits of negative energy that live outside the event horizon of such a spacetime. Relying on the Penrose process mechanism, we use these orbits to illustrate the possibility of energy extraction from a MP binary black hole by particle scattering. We also analyze the efficiency of the process, and construct explicit examples that optimize the extraction of energy. Lastly, we show how such concepts can be extended to a pair of non-coalescing Kerr black holes described by the Cabrera-Munguia, Manko and Ruiz (CMMR) metric.