7,836 research outputs found
Path Integral Over Black Hole Fluctuations
Evaluating a functional integral exactly over a subset of metrics that
represent the quantum fluctuations of the horizon of a black hole, we obtain a
Schroedinger equation in null coordinate time for the key component of the
metric. The equation yields a current that preserves probability if we use the
most natural choice of functional measure. This establishes the existence of
blurred horizons and a thermal atmosphere. It has been argued previously that
the existence of a thermal atmosphere is a direct concomitant of the thermal
radiation of black holes when the temperature of the hole is greater than that
of its larger environment, which we take as zero.Comment: 5 pages, added a couple of clarification
Scale-invariant gravity: Spacetime recovered
The configuration space of general relativity is superspace - the space of
all Riemannian 3-metrics modulo diffeomorphisms. However, it has been argued
that the configuration space for gravity should be conformal superspace - the
space of all Riemannian 3-metrics modulo diffeomorphisms and conformal
transformations. Recently a manifestly 3-dimensional theory was constructed
with conformal superspace as the configuration space. Here a fully
4-dimensional action is constructed so as to be invariant under conformal
transformations of the 4-metric using general relativity as a guide. This
action is then decomposed to a (3+1)-dimensional form and from this to its
Jacobi form. The surprising thing is that the new theory turns out to be
precisely the original 3-dimensional theory. The physical data is identified
and used to find the physical representation of the theory. In this
representation the theory is extremely similar to general relativity. The
clarity of the 4-dimensional picture should prove very useful for comparing the
theory with those aspects of general relativity which are usually treated in
the 4-dimensional framework.Comment: Replaced with final version: minor changes to tex
Spacetime Structure of an Evaporating Black Hole in Quantum Gravity
The impact of the leading quantum gravity effects on the dynamics of the
Hawking evaporation process of a black hole is investigated. Its spacetime
structure is described by a renormalization group improved Vaidya metric. Its
event horizon, apparent horizon, and timelike limit surface are obtained taking
the scale dependence of Newton's constant into account. The emergence of a
quantum ergosphere is discussed. The final state of the evaporation process is
a cold, Planck size remnant.Comment: 23 pages, BibTeX, revtex4, 7 figure
Initial Data and Coordinates for Multiple Black Hole Systems
We present here an alternative approach to data setting for spacetimes with
multiple moving black holes generalizing the Kerr-Schild form for rotating or
non-rotating single black holes to multiple moving holes. Because this scheme
preserves the Kerr-Schild form near the holes, it selects out the behaviour of
null rays near the holes, may simplify horizon tracking, and may prove useful
in computational applications. For computational evolution, a discussion of
coordinates (lapse function and shift vector) is given which preserves some of
the properties of the single-hole Kerr-Schild form
Initial data for black hole-neutron star binaries: a flexible, high-accuracy spectral method
We present a new numerical scheme to solve the initial value problem for
black hole-neutron star binaries. This method takes advantage of the
flexibility and fast convergence of a multidomain spectral representation of
the initial data to construct high-accuracy solutions at a relatively low
computational cost. We provide convergence tests of the method for both
isolated neutron stars and irrotational binaries. In the second case, we show
that we can resolve the small inconsistencies that are part of the
quasi-equilibrium formulation, and that these inconsistencies are significantly
smaller than observed in previous works. The possibility of generating a wide
variety of initial data is also demonstrated through two new configurations
inspired by results from binary black holes. First, we show that choosing a
modified Kerr-Schild conformal metric instead of a flat conformal metric allows
for the construction of quasi-equilibrium binaries with a spinning black hole.
Second, we construct binaries in low-eccentricity orbits, which are a better
approximation to astrophysical binaries than quasi-equilibrium systems.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, Modified to match final PRD versio
Issues for the Next Generation of Galaxy Surveys
I argue that the weight of the available evidence favours the conclusions
that galaxies are unbiased tracers of mass, the mean mass density (excluding a
cosmological constant or its equivalent) is less than the critical Einstein-de
Sitter value, and an isocurvature model for structure formation offers a viable
and arguably attractive model for the early assembly of galaxies. If valid
these conclusions complicate our work of adding structure formation to the
standard model for cosmology, but it seems sensible to pay attention to
evidence.Comment: 14 pages, 3 postscript figures, uses rspublic.st
The Measure of Cosmological Parameters
New, large, ground and space telescopes are contributing to an exciting and
rapid period of growth in observational cosmology. The subject is now far from
its earlier days of being data-starved and unconstrained, and new data are
fueling a healthy interplay between observations and experiment and theory. I
briefly review here the status of measurements of a number of quantities of
interest in cosmology: the Hubble constant, the total mass-energy density, the
matter density, the cosmological constant or dark energy component, and the
total optical background light.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, to be published in "2001: A Spacetime Odyssey:
Proceedings of the Inaugural Conference of the Michigan Center for
Theoretical Physics", Michael J. Duff & James T. Liu, eds., (World
Scientific, Singapore), in pres
Positivity of Entropy in the Semi-Classical Theory of Black Holes and Radiation
Quantum stress-energy tensors of fields renormalized on a Schwarzschild
background violate the classical energy conditions near the black hole.
Nevertheless, the associated equilibrium thermodynamical entropy by
which such fields augment the usual black hole entropy is found to be positive.
More precisely, the derivative of with respect to radius, at fixed
black hole mass, is found to vanish at the horizon for {\it all} regular
renormalized stress-energy quantum tensors. For the cases of conformal scalar
fields and U(1) gauge fields, the corresponding second derivative is positive,
indicating that has a local minimum there. Explicit calculation
shows that indeed increases monotonically for increasing radius and
is positive. (The same conclusions hold for a massless spin 1/2 field, but the
accuracy of the stress-energy tensor we employ has not been confirmed, in
contrast to the scalar and vector cases). None of these results would hold if
the back-reaction of the radiation on the spacetime geometry were ignored;
consequently, one must regard as arising from both the radiation
fields and their effects on the gravitational field. The back-reaction, no
matter how "small",Comment: 19 pages, RevTe
The Evolution of Cas A at Low Radio Frequencies
We have used archival 74 MHz VLA data spanning the last 15 years in
combination with new data from the Long Wavelength Demonstrator Array (LWDA)
and data from the literature covering the last 50 years to explore the
evolution of Cas A at low radio frequencies. We find that the secular decrease
of the flux density of Cas A at ~80 MHz is rather stable over five decades of
time, decreasing at a rate of 0.7-0.8% yr^-1. This is entirely consistent with
previous estimates at frequencies as low as 38 MHz, indicating that the secular
decrease is roughly the same at low frequencies, at least between 38 and 80
MHz. We also find strong evidence for as many as four modes of flux density
oscillation about the slower secular decrease with periods of 3.10+/-0.02$ yr,
5.1+/-0.3 yr, 9.0+/-0.2 yr, and 24+/-2 yr. These are also consistent with
fluctuations seen previously to occur on scales of a few years. These results
provide compelling motivation for a thorough low frequency monitoring campaign
of Cas A to constrain the nature and physical origins of these fluctuations,
and to be able to better predict the flux density of Cas A at any given epoch
so that it may be used as a reliable low frequency calibrator.Comment: accepted for publication in A
A Liquid Model Analogue for Black Hole Thermodynamics
We are able to characterize a 2--dimensional classical fluid sharing some of
the same thermodynamic state functions as the Schwarzschild black hole. This
phenomenological correspondence between black holes and fluids is established
by means of the model liquid's pair-correlation function and the two-body
atomic interaction potential. These latter two functions are calculated exactly
in terms of the black hole internal (quasilocal) energy and the isothermal
compressibility. We find the existence of a ``screening" like effect for the
components of the liquid.Comment: 20 pages and 6 Encapsulated PostScript figure
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