Loop quantum gravity and exploding black holes

Particle Physics Theory seminar

Loop quantum gravity and exploding black holes

  • Event time: 2:00pm
  • Event date: 9th March 2016
  • Speaker: Simone Speziale (University of Marseille)
  • Location: Higgs Centre Seminar Room, Room 4305,

Event details

We know that black holes exist in the sky, and that are classically stable. Hawking radiation, an expected perturbative quantum effect, introduces a finite lifetime for black holes and the famous information-loss paradox. After briefly reviewing these properties, I will discuss two scenarios for the fate of black holes when non-perturbative quantum effects are taken into account, and their respective advantages and difficulties. The first, more conservative, where the quantum gravity effects remove the central singularity while allowing an effective description in terms of a smooth metric throughout. The second, more speculative, where quantum gravity effetcs play an important role at horizon scales, and may lead to a much shorter lifetime. The relevance of the latter scenario depends on the transition amplitude of a certain quantum tunnelling among geometries, and I will sketch the details of this calculation, which is in progress using loop quantum gravity as a framework.

About Particle Physics Theory seminars

The Particle Physics Theory seminar is a weekly series of talks reflecting the diverse interests of the group. Topics include analytic and numerical calculations based on the Standard Model of elementary particle physics, theories exploring new physics, as well as more formal developments in gauge theories and gravity..

Find out more about Particle Physics Theory seminars.