Quantum matter core of black holes (and quantum hair)

TL;DR

This paper explores quantum black holes with extended matter cores, showing how quantum effects modify classical singularities and introduce quantum hair, affecting black hole thermodynamics and internal structure.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum description of black holes with finite-size cores, demonstrating the emergence of quantum hair and the avoidance of classical singularities and inner horizons.

Findings

Black holes have extended matter cores of macroscopic size.

Quantum hair modifies black hole thermodynamics.

Classical singularities are replaced by finite quantum cores.

Abstract

The idea that gravity can act as a regulator of ultraviolet divergences is almost a century old and has inspired several approaches to quantum gravity. In fact, a minimum Planckian length can be shown to emerge from the nonlinear dynamics of gravity in the effective field theory approach to gravitational scatterings at Planckian energies. A simple quantum description of the gravitational collapse of a ball of dust supports the conclusion that such a length scale is indeed dynamical and matter inside black holes forms extended cores of macroscopic size. The geometry of these quantum black holes can be described by coherent states which cannot contain modes of arbitrarily short wavelength, compatibly with a matter core of finite size. Therefore, the classical central singularity is not realised, yet the expected general relativistic behaviour can be recovered in the weak-field region outside the horizon with good approximation. Deviations from classical general relativistic solutions are still present and form quantum hair which modify the thermodynamical description of black holes. These quantum black holes also avoid the presence of inner (Cauchy) horizons, since the effective energy density and pressures are integrable, as required by quantum physics, and not as regular as in classical physics.