The Life and Times of Extremal Black Holes

TL;DR

This paper investigates the lifecycle of extremal black holes, focusing on their long-term stability, astrophysical interactions, and the time scales of their evolution and destruction.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the processes affecting extremal black holes and calculates the relevant time scales for their evolution and eventual destruction.

Findings

Extremal black holes are long-lived due to their inability to fully evaporate via Hawking radiation.

Various astrophysical processes influence the lifespan and destruction of extremal black holes.

The paper quantifies the time scales associated with different events in the black holes' lifecycle.

Abstract

Charged extremal black holes cannot fully evaporate through the Hawking effect and are thus long lived. Over their lifetimes, these black holes take part in a variety of astrophysical processes, including many that lead to their eventual destruction. This paper explores the various events that shape the life of extremal black holes and calculates the corresponding time scales.