Related papers: Black holes, string theory and quantum coherence
Understanding the end state of black hole evaporation, the microscopic origin of black hole entropy, the information loss paradox, and the nature of the singularity arising in gravitational collapse - these are outstanding challenges for…
We argue that the infinitely many gauge symmetries of string theory provide an infinite set of conserved (gauge) quantum numbers (W-hair) which characterise black hole states and maintain quantum coherence, even during exotic processes like…
The definition of matter states on spacelike hypersurfaces of a 1+1 dimensional black hole spacetime is considered. Because of small quantum fluctuations in the mass of the black hole, the usual approximation of treating the gravitational…
In a seminal work, Hawking showed that natural states for free quantum matter fields on classical spacetimes that solve the spherically symmetric vacuum Einstein equations are KMS states of non-vanishing temperature. Although Hawking's…
The black-hole information paradox provides one of the sharpest foci for the conflict between quantum mechanics and general relativity and has become the proving-ground of would-be theories of quantum gravity. String theory has made…
Thirty years of a deepening information paradox suggest the need to revise our basic physical framework. Multiple indicators point toward reassessment of the principle of locality: lack of a precise definition in quantum gravity, behavior…
I review some recent work (done in collaboration with G. Veneziano) which clarifies the existence of a correspondence between self-gravitating fundamental string states and Schwarzschild black holes. The main result is a detailed…
A solvable 2-dimensional conformally invariant midi-superspace model for black holes is obtained by imposing spherical symmetry in 4-dimensional conformally invariant Einstein gravity. The Wheeler-DeWitt equation for the theory is solved…
Entropy plays a crucial role in characterization of information and entanglement, but it is not a scalar quantity and for many systems it is different for different relativistic observers. Loop quantum gravity predicts the…
String theory provides an example of the kind of apparent inconsistency that the {\it Principle of Black Hole Complementarity\/} deals with. To a freely infalling observer a string falling through a black hole horizon appears to be a Planck…
In this paper the entropy of an eternal Schwarzschild black hole is studied in the limit of infinite black hole mass. The problem is addressed from the point of view of both canonical quantum gravity and superstring theory. The entropy per…
About twenty years ago Hawking made the remarkable suggestion that the black hole evaporation process will inevitably lead to a fundamental loss of quantum coherence. The mechanism by which the quantum radiation is emitted appears to be…
We develop the general formalism for joining, splitting and interconnection of closed and open strings. As an application, we study examples of fundamental cosmic string collisions leading to gravitational collapse. We find that the…
We present a coherent picture of the quantum mechanics of black holes. The picture does not require the introduction of any drastically new physical effect beyond what is already known; it arises mostly from synthesizing and…
Suppose a black hole forms from a pure quantum state $\ket{\psi}$. The black hole information loss paradox arises from semiclassical arguments suggesting that, even in a closed system, the process of black hole formation and evaporation…
Classically a black hole can absorb but not emit energy. We discuss how this T-asymmetric property of black holes arises in the recently proposed (T-symmetric) microscopic models of black holes based on bound states of D-branes. In these…
We show that, in string theory, the quantum evaporation and decay of black holes in two-dimensional target space is related to imaginary parts in higher-genus string amplitudes. These arise from the regularisation of modular infinities due…
To explain black hole thermodynamics in quantum gravity, one must introduce constraints to ensure that a black hole is actually present. I show that for a large class of black holes, such ``horizon constraints'' allow the use of conformal…
In the framework of the four-dimensional effective theory of heterotic superstrings at low energies, which is considered as a generalised theory of gravity, we search for new black hole solutions. The analytical expressions of all the…
To derive black hole thermodynamics in any quantum theory of gravity, one must introduce constraints that ensure that a black hole is actually present. For a large class of black holes, the imposition of such ``horizon constraints'' allows…