Nonlinear evolution of the spin-2 black hole superradiant instability

Abstract: Massive spin-2 fields, which arise in proposed extensions of the standard model of particle physics and general relativity, give rise to a superradiant instability around spinning black holes. We study the nonlinear evolution of this instability in quadratic gravity, where quadratic curvature terms are added to the Einstein-Hilbert action. We find that as the massive spin-2 field grows, the black hole's spin increases, accelerating the growth rate, and eventually leading to a superextremal horizon. This sharply contrasts with the spin-down and eventual saturation that occurs due to the backreaction of the superradiant instability of a minimally coupled massive spin-0 or spin-1 field.