Evolution of innermost stable circular orbit and light ring of a charged black hole induced by the scalarization

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the dynamical evolution of the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) and light ring of a charged black hole during dynamical scalarization. This is achieved through nonlinear simulations within the framework of the Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory. Using the time-dependent metric derived from these simulations, we compute the radial effective potentials for timelike and null geodesics as functions of time. Our results demonstrate how the ISCO and light ring evolve as a hairless charged black hole transitions to a scalarized state. We find that dynamical scalarization induces an increase in the areal radii of both the ISCO and light ring. These findings provide new insights into black hole scalarization, particularly regarding the temporal evolution of the ISCO and light ring in a dynamically evolving spacetime.