Radiation recoil from highly distorted black holes

We present results from numerical evolutions of single black holes distorted by axisymmetric, but equatorially asymmetric, gravitational (Brill) waves. Net radiated energies, apparent horizon embeddings, and recoil velocities are shown for a range of Brill wave parameters, including both even and odd parity distortions of Schwarzschild black holes. We find that a wave packet initially concentrated on the black hole throat, a likely model also for highly asymmetric stellar collapse and late stage binary mergers, can generate a maximum recoil velocity of about 150 (23) km/sec for even (odd) parity perturbations, significantly less than that required to eject black holes from galactic cores. [S0556-2821(99)10418-1].