Related papers: String Solitons and Black Hole Thermodynamics
Supersymmetric black holes provide an excellent theoretical laboratory to test ideas about quantum gravity in general and black hole entropy in particular. When four-dimensional supergravity is interpreted as the low-energy approximation of…
In previous papers we have shown how strings in a two-dimensional target space reconcile quantum mechanics with general relativity, thanks to an infinite set of conserved quantum numbers, ``W-hair'', associated with topological soliton-like…
We study the BPS black hole solutions of the (truncated) action for heterotic string theory compactified on a six-torus. The O(3,Z) duality symmetry of the theory, together with the bound state interpretation of extreme black holes, is used…
After recalling the definition of black holes, and reviewing their energetics and their classical thermodynamics, one expounds the conjecture of Bekenstein, attributing an entropy to black holes, and the calculation by Hawking of the…
$U(1)$ zero modes in the $SL(2,R)_k/U(1)$ and $SU(2)_k/U(1)$ conformal coset theories, are investigated in conjunction with the string black hole solution. The angular variable in the Euclidean version, is found to have a double set of…
This is a revised and shortened version of a MSc thesis submitted to the University of Sussex, UK. An introduction into the pre-string physics of black holes and related thermodynamics is given. Then, starting with an introduction of how…
We review the status of solitons in superstring theory, with a view to understanding the strong coupling regime. These {\it solitonic} solutions are non-singular field configurations which solve the empty-space low-energy field equations…
The past year has seen enormous progress in string theory. It has become clear that all of the different string theories are different limits of a single theory. Moreover, in certain limits, one obtains a new, eleven-dimensional structure…
We give some examples in which neglecting the interactions between particles or truncating the description of a black hole to the spherically symmetric mode leads to unphysical results. The restoration of the interactions and higher angular…
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…
A review of recent progress in string theory concerning the Bekenstein formula for black hole entropy is given. Topics discussed include p-branes, D-branes and supersymmetry; the correspondence principle; the D- and M-brane approach to…
I review some recent work in which the quantum states of string theory which are associated with certain black holes have been identified and counted. For large black holes, the number of states turns out to be precisely the exponential of…
The electric-magnetic duality transformation in four dimensional heterotic string theory discussed by Shapere, Trivedi and Wilczek is shown to be an exact symmetry of the equations of motion of low energy effective field theory even after…
A very brief review is given of some of the developments leading to our current understanding of black holes in string theory. This is followed by a discussion of two possible misconceptions in this subject - one involving the stability of…
Supersymmetric extreme dyonic black holes of toroidally compactified heterotic or type II string theory can be viewed as lower-dimensional images of solitonic strings wound around a compact dimension. We consider conformal sigma models…
In this talk I review recent developments in superstring theory. In the first half of the talk I discuss some of the earlier developments in this subject. This includes a review of the status of string theory as a unified theory of gravity…
We review modifications of the Bekenstein-Hawking area law for black hole entropy in the presence of higher-derivative interactions. In four-dimensional N=2 compactifications of string theory or M-theory these modifications are crucial for…
We review the status of duality symmetries in superstring theories. These discrete symmetries mark the striking differences between theories of pointlike objects and theories of extended objects. They prove to be very helpful in…
We review work done over the last years on the macroscopic and microscopic entropy of supersymmetric black holes in fourdimensional N=2 supergravity and in N=2 compactifications of string theory and M-theory. Particular emphasis is put on…
The one-loop contribution to the entropy of a black hole from field modes near the horizon is computed in string theory. It is modular invariant and ultraviolet finite. There is an infrared divergence that signifies an instability near the…