Complete, Single-Horizon Quantum Corrected Black Hole Spacetime

We show that a semi-classical polymerization of the interior of Schwarzschild black holes gives rise to a tantalizing candidate for a non-singular, single horizon black hole spacetime. The exterior has non-zero quantum stress energy but closely approximates the classical spacetime for macroscopic black holes. The interior exhibits a bounce at a microscopic scale and then expands indefinitely to a Kantowski-Sachs spacetime. Polymerization therefore removes the singularity and produces a scenario reminiscent of past proposals for universe creation via quantum effects inside a black hole.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. A shortened version with some new reference

The Partition Function for Topological Field Theories

We use a Hodge decomposition and its generalization to non-abelian flat vector bundles to calculate the partition function for abelian and non- abelian BF theories in $n$ dimensions. This enables us to provide a simple proof that the partition function is related to the Ray-Singer torsion defined on flat vector bundles for all odd-dimensional manifolds, and is equal to unity for even dimensions.Comment: 23 pages, plain-TeX fil