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Holonomy invariance, orbital resonances, and kilohertz QPOs

Quantized orbital structures are typical for many aspects of classical gravity (Newton's as well as Einstein's). The astronomical phenomenon of orbital resonances is a well-known example. Recently, Rothman, Ellis and Murugan (2001) discussed quantized orbital structures in the novel context of a holonomy invariance of parallel transport in Schwarzschild geometry. We present here yet another example of quantization of orbits, reflecting both orbital resonances and holonomy invariance. This strong-gravity effect may already have been directly observed as the puzzling kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the X-ray emission from a few accreting galactic black holes and several neutron stars.