The linearised conformal Einstein field equations around a Petrov-type D spacetime: the conformal Teukolsky equation

Abstract While the Teukolsky equation (TE) plays a central role in traditional treatments of perturbations of algebraically special spacetimes, its relation to Friedrich’s conformal Einstein field equations (CEFEs) remains largely unexplored. Here we develop a conformal formulation of black-hole perturbation theory based on the CEFEs and derive the conformal TE. Starting from a transparent review of Friedrich’s regularisation strategy, this work establishes a direct connection between mainstream curvature-based linear perturbation theory and conformal formulations of general relativity. This perspective is timely given the growing relevance of hyperboloidal frameworks in black-hole perturbation theory, where conformal compactification is introduced at the level of an already linearised effective wave equation. Here instead, the conformal factor is a dynamical variable within the field equations. In the non-linear equations there is a coupling between conformal and curvature perturbations; however, when linearised around a Petrov-type D background, the conformal factor decouples from the equations governing the Newman–Penrose components ϕ 0 and ϕ 4 of the rescaled Weyl tensor. The resulting equation preserves the form of the classical TE while remaining regular at the conformal boundary. This provides a geometric interpretation of the hyperboloidal master variable and an entry point into the CEFE framework. We further derive the conformal TE for a conformal representation of Kerr spacetime where spatial infinity is realised as a blown-up cylinder. By bridging conformal and traditional approaches to black-hole perturbation theory, the framework highlights a geometrically regular representation of perturbative dynamics that may inform extensions beyond the linear regime.