Black holes and black hole thermodynamics without event horizons

We investigate whether black holes can be defined without using event horizons. In particular we focus on the thermodynamic properties of event horizons and the alternative, locally defined horizons. We discuss the assumptions and limitations of the proofs of the zeroth, first and second laws of black hole mechanics for both event horizons and trapping horizons. This leads to the possibility that black holes may be more usefully defined in terms of trapping horizons. We also review how Hawking radiation may be seen to arise from trapping horizons and discuss which horizon area should be associated with the gravitational entropy.     

On vector-tensor minimally coupled field theories

We consider vector-tensor minimally coupled Lagrangians, i.e., scalar densities of the form = g ^1/2 R +L(g _ij ; _i ; _i,j ). We prove that the gauge invariance of any of the sets of Euler-Lagrange expressions implies the gauge invariance of the Lagrangian itself forn even, and an almost gauge invariance forn odd. We also find those for whichE ⁱ () = 0 orE ^ij (L) = 0, generalizing well-known results by Lovelock and a result by the authors.     

Black holes and membranes in higher-dimensional theories with dilaton fields

We consider scale invariant theories which couple gravity to Maxwell fields and antisymmetric tensor fields with a dilaton field. We exhibit in a unified way solutions representing black hole, space-time membrane, vortex and cosmological solutions. Their physical properties depend sensitively on the coupling constant of the dilaton field, there being critical value separating qualitatively different types of behaviour, e.g. the temperature of a charged black hole in the extreme limit. It is also shown that compactification into the 4-dimensional Minkowski space in terms of a membrane solution is possible in 10-dimensional supergravity model.     

Rotating charged black holes in Einstein-Born-Infeld theories and their ADM mass

In this work, the solution of the Einstein equations for a slowly rotating black hole with Born-Infeld charge is obtained. Geometrical properties and horizons of this solution are analyzed. The conditions when the ADM mass (as in the nonlinear static cases) and the ADM angular momentum of the system have been modified by the non linear electromagnetic field of the black hole, are considered.     

Black holes and beyond

The black hole information paradox forces us into a strange situation: we must find a way to break the semiclassical approximation in a domain where no quantum gravity effects would normally be expected. Traditional quantizations of gravity do not exhibit any such breakdown, and this forces us into a difficult corner: either we must give up quantum mechanics or we must accept the existence of troublesome ‘remnants’. In string theory, however, the fundamental quanta are extended objects, and it turns out that the bound states of such objects acquire a size that grows with the number of quanta in the bound state. The interior of the black hole gets completely altered to a ‘fuzzball’ structure, and information is able to escape in radiation from the hole. The semiclassical approximation can break at macroscopic scales due to the large entropy of the hole: the measure in the path integral competes with the classical action, instead of giving a subleading correction. Putting this picture of black hole microstates together with ideas about entangled states leads to a natural set of conjectures on many long-standing questions in gravity: the significance of Rindler and de Sitter entropies, the notion of black hole complementarity, and the fate of an observer falling into a black hole.     

Non-equilibrium thermodynamics and dissipative fluid theories

Summary Some of the available, phenomenological studies on the dissipative fluid theories have involved extending the set of independent dynamical variables. In the favourite case of a chemically inert fluid, one can propose to enlarge the usual hydrodynamic space both by introducing eight components of the stress deviator and the heat flux and by treating them as the fundamental variables on the same footing as the mass density and the specific internal energy. A candidate theory of this kind is based upon the quasi-linear, first-order partial differential equations for the evaluation of all variables. In this paper, the differential field equations are studied with a view to a deeper understanding of non-equilibrium thermodynamics for dissipative fluids. A characteristic feature of the endeavour is that not only it is now possible to have the differential field equations consistent with a supplementary balance law, interpreted as the equation of balance of entropy, but also possible to clarify the meaning of temperature and pressure beyond local equilibrium and to obtain the theory of thermodynamic potentials for systems ?not infinitesimally near to equilibrium?. These results are achieved via the use of the critical-point theory, as formulated by Morse, in the context of the well-known extremum property of entropy. Mathematically, the supplementary balance law is derived by exploiting the calculus of ?vertical? differential forms, and the differential field equations are defined intrinsically,i.e. without making any explicit reference to a particular coordinate system. Finally, the paper discusses some problems concerning the structure of an expression for the entropy flux.     

Integrable models of black holes and their generalizations in the theories of supergravity and superstrings

A new class of integrable models of (0+1)-and (1+1)-dimensional dilaton gravity coupled to any number of scalar fields is introduced and briefly discussed. These models can be reduced to a system of Liouville equations that are coupled through energy and momentum constraints. The constraints can be explicitly solved, thus giving an explicit analytic solution of the theory. In particular, these integrable models describe spherically symmetric black holes and branes of supergravity theories in higher dimensions.     

The irreversible thermodynamics of black holes

The action of quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field may be regarded as the origin of the dissipative processes associated with Hawking radiation. In this picture the black hole possesses internal coherence by virtue of the localization of its mass. The cumulative effect of the quantum fluctuations in the geometry is that this coherence is corrupted and the mass is sapped away.This essay was awarded the fourth prize for 1977 by the Gravity Research Foundation.     

Black holes in the Brans-Dicke

It is shown that a stationary space containing a black hole is a solution of the Brans-Dicke field equations if and only if it is a solution of the Einstein field equations. This implies that when the star collapses to form a black hole, it loses that fraction (about 7%) of its measured gravitational mass that arises from the scalar interaction. This mass loss is in addition to that caused by emission of scalar or tensor gravitational radiation. Another consequence is that there will not be any scalar gravitational radiation emitted when two black holes collide.     

Black holes in brane worlds

A Kerr metric describing a rotating black hole is obtained on the three brane in a five-dimensional Randall-Sundrum brane world by considering a rotating five-dimensional black string in the bulk. We examine the causal structure of this space-time through the geodesic equations.     

Black holes in general relativity

It is assumed that the singularities which occur in gravitational collapse are not visible from outside but are hidden behind an event horizon. This means that one can still predict the future outside the event horizon. A black hole on a spacelike surface is defined to be a connected component of the region of the surface bounded by the event horizon. As time increase, black holes may merge together but can never bifurcate. A black hole would be expected to settle down to a stationary state. It is shown that a stationary black hole must have topologically spherical boundary and must be axisymmetric if it is rotating. These results together with those of Israel and Carter go most of the way towards establishing the conjecture that any stationary black hole is a Kerr solution. Using this conjecture and the result that the surface area of black holes can never decrease, one can place certain limits on the amount of energy that can be extracted from black holes.