Analytic estimates of quasi-normal mode frequencies for black holes in General Relativity and beyond

Abstract: In this chapter, we review the eikonal technique to analytically derive approximate quasi-normal mode frequencies of black holes. We first review the procedure in General Relativity and extend it to theories beyond General Relativity. As an example of the latter, we focus on scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity in which a scalar field can couple to the Gauss-Bonnet invariant in an arbitrary way in the action. In this theory, metric and scalar perturbations are coupled in the polar sector, forcing the isospectrality to break and making the eikonal calculation more complex. We show that the analytic estimates can accurately capture the numerical behavior of the quasi-normal mode frequencies, especially when the coupling constant of the theory is small.