Black Hole Horizons and the Thermodynamics of Strings

TL;DR

This paper explores the thermodynamics and near-horizon geometry of black holes, proposing a microscopic string theory interpretation that connects black hole thermodynamics with string theory near both horizons.

Contribution

It introduces a novel microscopic interpretation linking black hole thermodynamics to string theory near horizons, including universal features and absorption/emission phenomena.

Findings

Universal low-energy absorption cross-section explained

Emission of higher partial waves analyzed

Near-horizon geometry features discussed

Abstract

We review the classical thermodynamics and the greybody factors of general (rotating) non-extreme black holes and discuss universal features of their near-horizon geometry. We motivate a microscopic interpretation of general black holes that relates the thermodynamics of an effective string theory to the geometry of the black hole in the vicinity of both the outer and the inner event horizons. In this framework we interpret several near-extreme examples, the universal low-energy absorption cross-section, and the emission of higher partial waves from general black holes.