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In this paper we present a spectral decomposition of solutions to relativistic wave equations described on horizon-penetrating hyperboloidal slices within a given Schwarzschild-black-hole background. The wave equation in question is Laplace-transformed which leads to a spatial differential equation with a complex parameter. For initial data which are analytic with respect to a compactified spatial coordinate, this equation is treated with the help of the Mathematica-package in terms of a sophisticated Taylor series analysis. Thereby, all ingredients of the desired spectral decomposition arise explicitly to arbitrarily prescribed accuracy, including quasinormal modes, quasinormal mode amplitudes as well as the jump of the Laplace-transform along the branch cut. Finally, all contributions are put together to obtain via the inverse Laplace transformation the spectral decomposition in question. The paper explains extensively this procedure and includes detailed discussions of relevant aspects, such as the definition of quasinormal modes and the question regarding the contribution of infinity frequency modes to the early time response of the black hole.

The generation of a large recoil velocity from the inspiral and merger of binary black holes represents one of the most exciting results of numerical-relativity calculations. While many aspects of this process have been investigated and explained, the "antikick," namely, the sudden deceleration after the merger, has not yet found a simple explanation. We show that the antikick can be understood in terms of the radiation from a deformed black hole where the anisotropic curvature distribution on the horizon correlates with the direction and intensity of the recoil. Our analysis is focused on Robinson-Trautman spacetimes and allows us to measure both the energies and momenta radiated in a gauge-invariant manner. At the same time, this simpler setup provides the qualitative and quantitative features of merging black holes, opening the way to a deeper understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of black-hole spacetimes.