Lessons from Schwinger Effective Action for Black Holes

TL;DR

This paper explores the connection between quantum field theory effective actions and Hawking radiation, revealing an equivalence between electric field and black hole horizon effects, offering new insights into black hole quantum phenomena.

Contribution

It demonstrates an equivalence between spinor QED effective action in electric fields and massless boson effective action at black hole horizons, providing a novel interpretation of Hawking radiation.

Findings

Established the equivalence between electric field and black hole horizon effective actions.

Provided a new interpretation of vacuum polarization in black hole physics.

Enhanced understanding of the quantum origins of Hawking radiation.

Abstract

We revisit the Hawking radiation by comparing the effective actions in the in-out formalism, and advance an interpretation of the vacuum polarization and the Hawking radiation. The equivalence exists between the spinor QED effective action in a constant electric field and the nonperturbative effective action of a massless boson on the horizon of a Schwarzschild black hole.