Related papers: Black Holes and Strings: the Polymer Link
During the past 30 years, research in general relativity has brought to light strong hints of a very deep and fundamental relationship between gravitation, thermodynamics, and quantum theory. The most striking indication of such a…
We review the classical thermodynamics and the greybody factors of general (rotating) non-extreme black holes and discuss universal features of their near-horizon geometry. We motivate a microscopic interpretation of general black holes…
We give an elementary introduction to black holes in supergravity and string theory. The focus is on BPS solutions in four- and higher-dimensional supergravity and string theory. Basic ideas and techniques are explained in detail, including…
Based on well-known properties of semi-classical black holes, we show that weakly-coupled string theory can be viewed as a theory of N = 1/g_s^2 particle species. This statement is a string theoretic realization of the fact that the…
The entropy-area spectrum of a black hole has been a long-standing and unsolved problem. Based on a recent methodology introduced by two of the authors, for the black hole radiation (Hawking effect) as tunneling effect, we obtain the…
We show that the concept of entropy and the dynamics of gravitation provide the linchpin in a unified scheme to understand the physics of black hole computers, space-time foam, dark energy, dark matter and the phenomenon of turbulence. We…
Black holes are thermodynamic objects, but despite recent progress, the ultimate statistical mechanical origin of black hole temperature and entropy remains mysterious. Here I summarize an approach in which the entropy is viewed as arising…
We argue that the statistical entropy relevant for the thermal interactions of a black hole with its surroundings is (the logarithm of) the number of quantum microstates of the hole which are distinguishable from the hole's exterior, and…
The black hole information paradox forces us into a strange situation: we must find a way to break the semiclassical approximation in a domain where no quantum gravity effects would normally be expected. Traditional quantizations of gravity…
This is a write-up of introductory lectures on black holes in string theory given at TASI-99. Topics discussed include: Black holes, thermodynamics and the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, the information problem; supergravity actions, conserved…
This is an expanded version of a talk given at ``{\em IInd Recontre du Vietnam}'' held at Ho Chi Minh City in October, 1995. We discuss several aspects of black hole entropy in string theory. We first explain why the geometric entropy in…
The coupling of a Nambu-Goto string to gravity allows for Schwarzschild black holes whose entropy to area relation is $S=(A/4)(1-4\mu)$, where $\mu$ is the string tension. The departure from $A/4$ universality results from a string…
The role of torsion in quantum three-dimensional gravity is investigated by studying the partition function of the Euclidean theory in Riemann-Cartan spacetime. The entropy of the black hole with torsion is found to differ from the standard…
The black-hole information paradox has fueled a fascinating effort to reconcile the predictions of general relativity and those of quantum mechanics. Gravitational considerations teach us that black holes must trap everything that falls…
An alternative approach towards quantum theory is described, and tentative attempts to connect his approach to special and general relativity are discussed. Important concepts are gauge groups and information/entropy connected to some…
We consider a thought experiment in which an energetic massless string probes a "stringhole" (a heavy string lying on the correspondence curve between strings and black holes) at large enough impact parameter for the regime to be under…
Black holes merge together different field of physics. From General Relativity over thermodynamics and quantum field theory, they do now also reach into the regime of particle and collider physics. In the presence of additional compactified…
The concept of black hole entropy is one of the most important enigmas of theoretical physics. It relates thermodynamics to gravity and allows substantial hints toward a quantum theory of gravitation. Although Bekenstein conjecture…
I reconsider Hawking's analysis of the effects of gravitational collapse on quantum fields, taking into account interactions between the fields. The ultra-high energy vacuum fluctuations, which had been considered to be an awkward…
Polymer quantization is a non-standard representation of the quantum mechanics that inspired by loop quantum gravity. To study the associated statistical mechanics, one needs to find microstates' energies which are eigenvalues of the…