Surface electromagnetic waves near a black hole event horizon and their observational consequences

TL;DR

This paper investigates surface electromagnetic waves near a black hole horizon, proposing their existence as a quantum gravity effect and discussing how second harmonic light detection could reveal spacetime physics near black holes.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of surface electromagnetic wave solutions near black hole horizons when quantum gravity effects are included, linking wave phenomena to potential observational signatures.

Findings

Surface electromagnetic waves can exist near black hole horizons.

Quantum gravity effects induce these surface wave solutions.

Detection of second harmonic light could reveal horizon physics.

Abstract

Localization phenomena in light scattering from random fluctuations of matter fields and spacetime metric near a black hole horizon were predicted to produce a pronounced peak in the angular distribution of second harmonic light in the direction normal to the horizon. Therefore, detection of second harmonic generation may become a viable observational tool to study spacetime physics near event horizons of astronomical black holes. The light localization phenomena near the horizon may be facilitated by the existence of surface electromagnetic wave solutions. In this communication we study such surface electromagnetic wave solutions near the horizon of a Schwarzschild metric describing a black hole in vacuum. We demonstrate that such surface wave solutions must appear when quantum gravity effects are taken into account. Potential observational evidence of this effect are also discussed.