Perturbations of Charged Black Holes with Higher-Order Interactions

Abstract: We study linear gravitational perturbations and the corresponding quasinormal-mode spectra of electrically and magnetically charged black holes in the presence of higher-order corrections to the Einstein-Hilbert action. In particular, we consider a four-derivative interaction that couples the Riemann tensor to the electromagnetic field strength in the unique (Horndeski) combination that preserves second-order equations of motion. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the stability conditions. We numerically confirm the absence of exponentially growing modes throughout the physically admissible region of parameter space where the theory remains free of pathologies. We then investigate in detail the properties of the quasinormal-mode spectra and identify several distinctive features induced by the higher-order interaction.