Homoclinic orbits around spinning black holes. I. Exact solution for the Kerr separatrix

For equatorial Kerr orbits, we show that each separatrix between bound and plunging geodesics is a homoclinic orbit—an orbit that asymptotes to an energetically-bound, unstable circular orbit. We derive exact expressions for these trajectories in terms of elementary functions. We also clarify the formal connection between the separatrix and zoom-whirl orbits and show that, contrary to popular belief, zoom-whirl behavior is not intrinsically a near-separatrix phenomenon. This paper focuses on homoclinic behavior in physical space, while in a companion paper we paint the complementary phase space portrait. Although they refer to geodesic motion, the exact solutions for the Kerr separatrix could be useful for analytic or numerical studies of eccentric transitions from orbital to plunging motion under the dissipative effects of gravitational radiation.