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Two remarkable facts about Jackiw–Teitelboim (JT) two-dimensional dilaton-gravity have been recently uncovered: this theory is dual to an ensemble of quantum mechanical theories; and such ensembles are described by a random matrix model which itself may be regarded as a special (large matter-central-charge) limit of minimal string theory. This work addresses this limit, putting it in its broader matrix-model context; comparing results between multicritical models and minimal strings (i.e. changing in-between multicritical and conformal backgrounds); and in both cases making the limit of large matter-central-charge precise (as such limit can also be defined for the multicritical series). These analyses are first done via spectral geometry, at both perturbative and nonperturbative levels, addressing the resurgent large-order growth of perturbation theory, alongside a calculation of nonperturbative instanton-actions and corresponding Stokes data. This calculation requires an algorithm to reach large-order, which is valid for arbitrary two-dimensional topological gravity. String equations—as derived from the Gel'fand–Dikii construction of the resolvent—are analyzed in both multicritical and minimal string theoretic contexts, and studied both perturbatively and nonperturbatively (always matching against the earlier spectral-geometry computations). The resulting solutions, as described by resurgent transseries, are shown to be resonant. The large matter-central-charge limit is addressed—in the string-equation context—and, in particular, the string equation for JT gravity is obtained to next derivative-orders, beyond the known genus-zero case (its possible exact-form is also discussed). Finally, a discussion of gravitational perturbations to Schwarzschild-like black hole solutions in these minimal-string models, regarded as deformations of JT gravity, is included—alongside a brief discussion of quasinormal modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the minimal constraints imposed by the Weak Gravity Conjecture (WGC) on the particle spectrum of a quantum gravity theory. Towers of super-extremal states have previously been argued to be required for consistency of the WGC under circle reduction. At the same time, there exist classes of theories where no tower of super-extremal particle states below the black hole threshold has been established with current techniques. We resolve this tension by arguing for the existence of a minimal radius for circle reductions of generic quantum gravity theories. Below this threshold, the notion of a circle compactification breaks down, bypassing the need for a tower of super-extremal states to satisfy the WGC after circle reduction. Based on this we propose that if a theory satisfies the WGC at the particle level below the black hole threshold, these states are sufficient for consistency under dimensional reduction, even in absence of a tower of super-extremal particles. Apart from general arguments, we provide independent evidence for this main result in F-, M- and string theory compactifications. According to the Emergent String Conjecture the only exception to the appearance of a minimal radius arises in asymptotically weak-coupling limits for heterotic strings, which aligns with the appearance of a weakly coupled super-extremal tower of particle states. This observation motivates a Minimal Weak Gravity Conjecture which states that towers of super-extremal particles occur if and only if they are required by consistency of the WGC under dimensional reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effects of an early cosmological period dominated by primordial 2-2-holes on axion dark matter. The 2-2-holes emerge as a new family of horizonless classical solutions for ultracompact matter distributions in quadratic gravity, a candidate theory of quantum gravity. Thermal 2-2-holes, sourced by relativistic thermal gas, exhibit Hawking-like radiation and fulfill the entropy-area law before they become remnants with almost no radiation. In this paper, we consider the remnant contribution to dark matter (DM) small and adopt the axion DM scenario by the misalignment mechanism. We show that a 2-2-hole domination phase in the evolution of the universe changes the axion mass window, obtained from the dark matter abundance constraints. The biggest effect occurs when the remnants have the Planck mass, which is the case for a strongly coupled quantum gravity. The change in abundance constraints for the Planck mass 2-2-hole remnants amounts to that of the primordial black hole (PBH) counterpart. Therefore, since we use the revised constraints from gravitational waves on the initial fraction of 2-2-holes, the results here can also be considered the updated version of the PBH case. As a result, the lower limit on the axion mass is found as ma ~ 10-9 eV. Furthermore, the domination scenario itself constrains the remnant mass Mmin considerably. Given that we focus on the pre-BBN domination scenario in order not to interfere with BBN (Big Bang nucleosynthesis) constraints, the remnant mass window becomes mPl ≲ Mmin ≲ 0.1 g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rayleigh–Schrodinger method or more commonly called time independent perturbation theory is a powerful method to solve a Hamiltonian system with a relatively small perturbation [W. Nolting, Theoretical Physics 7: Quantum Mechanics–Methods and Applications (Springer International, 2017); F. Schwabl, Quantum Mechanics, 4th edn. (Springer, 2007)]. In this work, we make use of the Rayleigh–Schrodinger method to formulate a general method to calculate quasibound states of static spherically symmetric black hole solutions arising from modified theories of gravity. We discover that the Schwarzschild-like term corresponds to the main Hamiltonian while the modified theory of gravity's contribution of the spacetime metric corresponds to the perturbation terms. At the end, formula to calculate main Hamiltonian and perturbed Hamiltonian are discovered and presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the inevitable existence of quantum effects, a classical description generically breaks down after a finite quantum break‐time tq$t_q$. We aim to find criteria for determining tq$t_q$. To this end, we construct a new prototype model that features numerous dynamically accessible quantum modes. Using explicit numerical time evolution, we establish how tq$t_q$ depends on the parameters of the system such as its particle number N. The presence of a classical instability leads to tq∼lnN$t_q\sim \ln N$ or tq∼N$t_q\sim \sqrt {N}$. In the stable case, we observe tq∼N$t_q\sim N$, although full quantum breaking may not take place at all. We find that the different regimes merge smoothly with tq∼Nγ$t_q\sim N^\gamma$ (0<γ<1$0<\gamma <1$). As an outlook, we point out possibilities for transferring our results to black holes and expanding spacetimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vacuum spherically symmetric loop quantum gravity in the midi-superspace approximation using inhomogeneous horizon-penetrating slices has been studied for a decade, and it has been noted that the singularity is eliminated. It is replaced by a region of high curvature and potentially large quantum fluctuations. It was recently pointed out that the effective semiclassical metric implies the existence of a shell of matter which violates energy conditions in regions where the curvature is largest. Here, we propose an alternative way of treating the problem that is free from the shells. The ambiguity in the treatment is related with the existence of new observables in the quantum theory that characterize the area excitations, and how the counterpart of diffeomorphisms in the discrete quantum theory is mapped to the continuum semiclassical picture. The resulting spacetime in the high curvature region inside the horizon is approximated by a metric of the type of the Simpson–Visser wormhole and it connects the black hole interior to a white hole in a smooth manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interesting phenomenological consequence of Λ varying gravity theories inspired by quantum gravity models is reported. The treatment in the present work is quite general and applicable to several different actions with Λ varying, especially those used in RG approaches to quantum gravity. An effective gravitational action with a scale varying cosmological constant, Λ, which depends on the system's characteristics, like the length and the energy density, is the key feature. If the system is an astrophysical object, like a cluster of galaxies, a black hole, etc, non-negligible corrections arise to several observable quantities. Distinctive footprints could refer to luminosity distance and strong/weak lensing measurements, among others. The present study focuses on the SNIa luminosity distance observable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, it is proved that there are black holes that are dangerously cold. In particular, by analyzing the emission spectra of highly charged black holes we reveal the fact that near-extremal black holes whose Bekenstein–Hawking temperatures lie in the regime T BH ≲ m e 6 / e 3 may turn into horizonless naked singularities, thus violating the cosmic censorship principle, if they emit a photon with the characteristic thermal energy ω = O (T BH ) (here { m e , e } are, respectively, the proper mass and the electric charge of the electron, the lightest charged particle). We therefore raise here the conjecture that, in the yet unknown quantum theory of gravity, the temperatures of well-behaved black-hole spacetimes are fundamentally bounded from below by the relation T BH ≳ m e 6 / e 3 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The end state of Hawking evaporation of a black hole is uncertain. Some candidate quantum gravity theories, such as loop quantum gravity and asymptotic safe gravity, hint towards Planck sized remnants. If so, the Universe might be filled with remnants of tiny primordial black holes, which formed with mass M < 10 9 g. A unique scenario is the case of M ∼ 5 × 10 5 g, where tiny primordial black holes reheat the Universe by Hawking evaporation and their remnants dominate the dark matter (DM). Here, we point out that this scenario leads to a cosmological gravitational wave signal at frequencies ∼100 Hz. Finding such a particular gravitational wave signature with, e.g. the Einstein telescope, would suggest black hole remnants as DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space and matter may both be manifestations of a single fundamental quantum dynamics, as it may become evident during black-hole evaporation. Inspired by the fact that quantum electrodynamics underlies the classical theory of elasticity, that in turn has a natural and well-known geometric description in terms of curvature and torsion, related to topological defects, here we move some necessary steps to find the map from such fundamental quantum level to the emergent level of classical space and quantum matter. We proceed by adapting the boson transformation method of standard quantum field theory to the quantum gravity fundamental scenario and successfully obtain the emergence of curvature and torsion, our main focus here. In doing so, we have been able to overcome difficult issues of interpretation, related to the Goldstone modes for rotational symmetry. In fact, we have been able to apply the boson transformation method to disclinations, to relate them to the spin structure and to give an heuristic derivation of the matter field equation on curved space. We also improve results of previous work on the emergence of geometric tensors from elasticity theory, as the non-Abelian contributions to the torsion and curvature tensors, postulated in those papers, here emerge naturally. More work is necessary to identify the type of gravity theories one can obtain in this way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, there has been growing interest in the quantization of black holes using techniques developed in loop quantum cosmology. Due to the quantum geometry effect, the resulting quantum-corrected black hole provides non-singular models. The quantization scheme can be roughly divided into four types: (1) the μ 0 scheme, (2) the μ ¯ scheme, (3) the generalized μ 0 scheme, and (4) the quantum collapsing model. This paper provides an introduction of the loop quantum black hole model, a summary of the progress made in this field, as well as the quantum effective dynamics and physical applications of these models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theoretical prediction of the stochastic property of the quantum cosmological constant and the quantum stochastic nature of event horizons has crucial implications on the physics of space-time and black holes in particular. One of these consequences concerns a new mechanism, which is investigated here, for the stochastic regularization of singular black-hole solutions of classical general relativity. The problem is posed in the context of the theory of covariant quantum gravity (CQG-theory), namely the manifestly covariant, constraint-free and finite graviton-mass quantum Hamiltonian approach developed by Cremaschini and Tessarotto (2015–2022), which permits to cast the theory in a frame-independent setting. It is precisely the trajectory-dependence feature of the theory and the intrinsic stochastic property of quantum gravity which turn out to be crucial properties for reaching quantum regularization of classical singular solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study canonical quantization of Jackiw-Teibelboim (JT) gravity coupled to a massless scalar field. We provide concrete expressions of matter SL(2, R) charges and the boundary matter operators in terms of the creation and annihilation operators in the scalar field. The matter charges are represented in the form of an oscillator (Jordon-Schwinger) realization of the SL(2, R) algebra. We also show how the gauge constraints are implemented classically, by matching explicitly classical solutions of Schwarzian dynamics with bulk solutions. We introduce n-point transition functions defined by insertions of boundary matter operators along the two-sided Lorentzian evolution, which may fully spell out the quantum dynamics in the presence of matter. For the Euclidean case, we proceed with a two-sided picture of the disk geometry and consider the two-sided 2-point correlation function where initial and final states are arranged by inserting matter operators in a specific way. For some simple initial states, we evaluate the correlation function perturbatively. We also discuss some basic features of the two-sided correlation functions with additional insertions of boundary matter operators along the two-sided evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, thermodynamics has given an important aspect of black hole physics, and it is being used as a solemn tool in characterizing the physicality and viability of many black hole (BH) solutions. On the other hand, Heisenberg algebraic deformations, which predict a lower bound to position and/or momentum, are interrogated to have a theory of quantum gravity. In this paper, we consider a combined deformation of the generalized uncertainty and extended generalized uncertainty principles (EGUP) and investigate the EGUP-corrected thermal quantities of the rotating charged BTZ BH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence that Hořava gravity may be a viable quantum theory of gravity. It is thus legitimate to expect that gravitational collapse in the full, non-projectable version of the theory should result in geometries that are free of space-time singularities. Previous analyses have shown that such geometries must belong to one of the following classes: simply connected regular black holes with inner horizons; non-connected black holes "hiding" a wormhole mouth (black bounces); simply connected or non-connected horizonless compact objects. Here, we consider a singular black hole in the low-energy limit of non-projectable Hořava gravity, i.e. khronometric theory, and describe examples of its possible "regularisations", covering all of the viable classes. To our knowledge, these examples constitute the first instances of black holes with inner universal horizons, of black bounces and of stars with a de Sitter core in the context of Lorentz-violating theories of gravity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the combined dynamics of the Yang–Mills and Liouville gravity fields at the event horizon of black holes. To analyze quantum dynamics at the event horizon of black holes existing in a three-dimensional (spatial) universe, a two-dimensional formulation is introduced. The following hypothesis is proposed in this work: there exists a two-dimensional analogue to the Higgs field at the event horizon. This field is then considered as a two-dimensional Yang–Mills field. The interaction and symmetry breaking of the combined two-dimensional Yang–Mills and Liouville gravitational fields are then discussed. The resulting gravitational scalar boson and its implications to the quantum dynamics occurring at the event horizon are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we construct a solvable toy model of the quantum dynamics of the interior of a spherical black hole with falling spherical scalar field excitations. We first argue about how some aspects of the quantum gravity dynamics of realistic black holes emitting Hawking radiation can be modeled using Kantowski–Sachs solutions with a massless scalar field when one focuses on the deep interior region r ≪ M (including the singularity). Further, we show that in the r ≪ M regime, and in suitable variables, the KS model becomes exactly solvable at both the classical and quantum levels. The quantum dynamics inspired by loop quantum gravity is revisited. We propose a natural polymer quantization where the area a of the orbits of the rotation group is quantized. The polymer (or loop) dynamics is closely related to the Schroedinger dynamics away from the singularity with a form of continuum limit naturally emerging from the polymer treatment. The Dirac observable associated with the mass is quantized and shown to have an infinite degeneracy associated with the so-called ϵ -sectors. Suitable continuum superpositions of these are well-defined distributions in the fundamental Hilbert space and satisfy the continuum Schroedinger dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black hole solutions in general relativity come with pathologies such as singularity and mass inflation instability, which are believed to be cured by a yet-to-be-found quantum theory of gravity. Without such consistent description, one may model theory-agnostic phenomenological black holes that bypass the aforesaid issues. These so-called regular black holes are extensively studied in the literature using parameterized modifications over the black hole solutions of general relativity. However, since there exist several ways to model such black holes, it is important to study the consistency and viability of these solutions from both theoretical and observational perspectives. In this work, we consider a recently proposed model of regularized stable rotating black holes having two extra parameters in addition to the mass and spin of a Kerr solution. We start by computing their quasi-normal modes under scalar perturbation and investigate the impact of those additional parameters on black hole stability. In the second part, we study shadows of the central compact objects in M 87 ∗ and S g r A ∗ modelled by these regularized black holes and obtain stringent bounds on the parameter space requiring consistency with Event Horizon Telescope observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the absence of a fully fledged theory of quantum gravity, we propose a "bottom-up" framework for exploring quantum-gravitational physics by pairing two of the most fundamental concepts of quantum theory and general relativity, namely quantum superposition and spacetime. We show how to describe such "spacetime superpositions" and explore effects they induce upon quantum matter. Our approach capitalizes on standard tools of quantum field theory in curved space, and allows us to calculate physical observables like transition probabilities for a particle detector residing in curvature-superposed de Sitter spacetime, or outside a mass-superposed black hole. Crucially, such scenarios represent genuine quantum superpositions of spacetimes in contrast with superpositions of metrics that only differ by a coordinate transformation and thus are not different according to general relativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that if a massive body is put in a quantum superposition of spatially separated states, the mere presence of a black hole in the vicinity of the body will eventually destroy the coherence of the superposition. This occurs because, in effect, the gravitational field of the body radiates soft gravitons into the black hole, allowing the black hole to acquire "which path" information about the superposition. A similar effect occurs for quantum superpositions of electrically charged bodies. We provide estimates of the decoherence time for such quantum superpositions. We believe that the fact that a black hole will eventually decohere any quantum superposition may be of fundamental significance for our understanding of the nature of black holes in a quantum theory of gravity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrophysical objects and the surrounding geometry must be described by suitable states in the complete quantum theory of matter and gravity. We attempt at reconstructing such a state for a Schwarzschild black hole from the analysis of a collapsing ball of dust and describing the outer geometry by means of a coherent state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we develop the quantum theory of gravity in the gravitational compressed space. The equivalence of spatial compression to the Lorentz contraction of special relativity, supported by the relative gravitational red-shift using the black hole clock, leads to the brane potential and gives the minimum length at which the extra dimensions become dominant, comparable to that of the Schwarzschild radius. For Planck mass the minimum length is almost Planck's length. When doing the quantization of the theory, we find that those responsible for the evolution of time for luminous matter, graviton and for dark matter, the axion, have the property that in compressed gravitational space, naked and dressed propagators are equal and coincide with the corresponding naked propagators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effect of self-gravity on entropy by directly solving the 4D semi-classical Einstein equation. In particular, we focus on whether the Bekenstein-Hawking formula holds when self-gravity is extremely strong. As an example, we consider a simple spherically symmetric static configuration consisting of many quanta and construct a self-consistent non-perturbative solution for ħ in which the entropy exactly follows the area law for many local degrees of freedom of any kind. This can be a candidate for black holes in quantum theory. It represents a compact dense configuration with near-Planckian curvatures, and the interior typically behaves like a local thermal state due to particle creation inside. Here, the information content is stored in the interior bulk, and the self-gravity plays an essential role in changing the entropy from the volume law to the area law. We finally discuss implications to black holes in quantum gravity and a speculative view of entropy as a gravitational charge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on some aspects of the relation of spacetime and quantum mechanics and the study counterparts (in Set) of the categorical local symmetries of smooth 4-manifolds. In the set-theoretic limit, there emerge some exotic smoothness structures on R 4 (hence the Riemannian nonvanishing curvature), which fit well with the quantum mechanical lattice of projections on infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The method we follow is formalization localized on the open covers of the spacetime manifold. We discuss our findings in the context of the information paradox assigned to evaporating black holes. A black hole can evaporate entirely, but the smoothness structure of spacetime will be altered and, in this way, the missing information about the initial states of matter forming the black hole will be encoded. Thus, the possible global geometric remnant of black holes in spacetime is recognized as exotic 4-smoothness. The full-fledged verification of this proposal will presumably be possible within the scope of future quantum gravity theory research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the foremost goals of theoretical modern physics is to obtain a reliable theory of quantum gravity. In so doing, new fundamental scales are being proposed. For example, in the Snyder–de Sitter (SdS) model, two scales manifest which relate measurement limits of the position and momentum. In this work, we study the thermodynamic functions of the Schwarzschild black hole in the SdS model within the presence of position independent and dependent gravity's rainbow. Heuristically, we prove the presence of a nonzero lower bound value of the horizon, mass and temperature of the black hole. Then, we present the stability and remnant conditions of the black hole according to the entropy and heat capacity functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the theory of infinitely extended particles as the quantum theory of gravity, which unifies all fundamental interactions. We write the space–time metric, which is Schwarzschild-like black hole. We calculate Hamiltonian and Lagrangian, and from these, we obtain the potential energy and study the polymer quantization. We construct effective potential and discuss the gravitational wave of this theory. Also, we study the geodesic motion of a particle near the black hole. Finally, we analyze the apparent shape, radius and distortion of the shadow of the black hole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a precise and computationally tractable notion of operator complexity in holographic quantum theories, including the ensemble dual of Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity and two-dimensional holographic conformal field theories. This is a refined, "microcanonical" version of K-complexity that applies to theories with infinite or continuous spectra (including quantum field theories), and in the holographic theories we study exhibits exponential growth for a scrambling time, followed by linear growth until saturation at a time exponential in the entropy — a behavior that is characteristic of chaos. We show that the linear growth regime implies a universal random matrix description of the operator dynamics after scrambling. Our main tool for establishing this connection is a "complexity renormalization group" framework we develop that allows us to study the effective operator dynamics for different timescales by "integrating out" large K-complexities. In the dual gravity setting, we comment on the empirical match between our version of K-complexity and the maximal volume proposal, and speculate on a connection between the universal random matrix theory dynamics of operator growth after scrambling and the spatial translation symmetry of smooth black hole interiors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical black holes shield us from the singularities that inevitably appear in general relativity. Singularity regularization being one of the main landmarks for a successful theory of quantum gravity, quantum black holes are not obliged to hide their inner core from the outside world. Notwithstanding the aforesaid, it is often implicitly assumed that quantum gravity effects must remain confined to black hole interiors. In this essay, we argue in the opposite direction, discussing theoretical evidence for the existence of strong correlations between the physics inside and outside nonsingular black holes. We conclude that astronomical tests of the surroundings of black holes can provide invaluable information about their so-far unexplored interiors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After considering the quantum corrections of Einstein-Maxwell theory, the effective theory will contain some higher-curvature terms and nonminimally coupled electromagnetic fields. In this paper, we study the first law of black holes in the gravitational electromagnetic system with the Lagrangian ℒ(gab, Rabcd, Fab). Firstly, we calculate the Noether charge and the variational identity in this theory, and then generically derive the first law of thermodynamics for an asymptotically flat stationary-axisymmetric symmetric black hole without the requirement that the electromagnetic field is smooth on the bifurcation surface. Our results indicate that the first law of black hole thermodynamics might be valid for the Einstein-Maxwell theory with some quantum corrections in the effective region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we argue for a close connection between the non-existence of global symmetries in quantum gravity and a unitary resolution of the black hole information problem. In particular we show how the essential ingredients of recent calculations of the Page curve of an evaporating black hole can be used to generalize a recent argument against global symmetries beyond the AdS/CFT correspondence to more realistic theories of quantum gravity. We also give several low-dimensional examples of quantum gravity theories which do not have a unitary resolution of the black hole information problem in the usual sense, and which therefore can and do have global symmetries. Motivated by this discussion, we conjecture that in a certain sense Euclidean quantum gravity is equivalent to holography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An outstanding open issue in our quest for physics beyond Einstein is the unification of general relativity (GR) and quantum physics. Loop quantum gravity (LQG) is a leading approach toward this goal. At its heart is the central lesson of GR: gravity is a manifestation of spacetime geometry. Thus, the approach emphasizes the quantum nature of geometry and focuses on its implications in extreme regimes—near the big bang and inside black holes—where Einstein's smooth continuum breaks down. We present a brief overview of the main ideas underlying LQG and highlight a few recent advances. This report is addressed to non-experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some quantum gravity theories, like loop quantum gravity, predict that quantum mechanical effects will avoid the formation of a singularity inside a black hole. From the general relativity point of view, this means that the metric will differ from the ones of Schwarzschild or Kerr at least inside the event horizon. If the metric is not that of Schwarzschild or Kerr, the potential of the Regge–Wheeler equation is modified, therefore it is possible to peek inside a black hole using the quasi-normal modes to find out if there is indeed a singularity. We address this problem for a regular Schwartzchild black hole using an effective metric first introduced by Hayward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the 'improved dynamics' for the treatment of spherically symmetric space-times in loop quantum gravity introduced by Chiou et al in analogy with the one that has been constructed by Ashtekar, Pawlowski and Singh for the homogeneous space-times. In this dynamics the polymerization parameter is a well motivated function of the dynamical variables, reflecting the fact that the quantum of area depends on them. Contrary to the homogeneous case, its implementation does not trigger undesirable physical properties. We identify semiclassical physical states in the quantum theory and derive the corresponding effective semiclassical metrics. We then discuss some of their properties. Concretely, the space-time approaches sufficiently fast the Schwarzschild geometry at low curvatures. Besides, regions where the singularity is in the classical theory get replaced by a regular but discrete effective geometry with finite and Planck order curvature, regardless of the mass of the black hole. This circumvents trans-Planckian curvatures that appeared for astrophysical black holes in the quantization scheme without the improvement. It makes the resolution of the singularity more in line with the one observed in models that use the isometry of the interior of a Schwarzschild black hole with the Kantowski–Sachs loop quantum cosmologies. One can observe the emergence of effective violations of the null energy condition in the interior of the black hole as part of the mechanism of the elimination of the singularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a geometric classification of all spherically symmetric spacetimes that could result from singularity regularization, using a kinematic construction that is both exhaustive and oblivious to the dynamics of the fields involved. Due to the minimal geometric assumptions underlying it, this classification encompasses virtually all modified gravity theories, and any theory of quantum gravity in which an effective description in terms of an effective metric is available. The first noteworthy conclusion of our analysis is that the number of independent classes of geometries that can be constructed is remarkably limited, with no more than a handful of qualitatively different possibilities. But our most remarkable result is that this catalogue of possibilities clearly demonstrates that the degree of internal consistency and the strength of deviations with respect to general relativity are strongly, and positively, correlated. Hence, either quantum fluctuations of spacetime come to the rescue and solve these internal consistency issues, or singularity regularization will percolate to macroscopic (near-horizon) scales, radically changing our understanding of black holes and opening new opportunities to test quantum gravity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous paper we formulated axisymmetric general relativity in terms of real Ashtekar–Barbero variables. Here we proceed to quantize the theory. We are able to implement Thiemann's version of the Hamiltonian constraint. This provides a 2 + 1 dimensional arena to test ideas for the dynamics of quantum gravity and opens the possibility of quantum studies of rotating black hole spacetimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We point out that two-dimensional Russo-Susskind-Thorlacius (RST) model for evaporating black holes is locally equivalent — at the full quantum level — to flat-space Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity that was recently shown to be unitary. Globally, the two models differ by a reflective spacetime boundary added in the RST model. Treating the boundary as a local and covariant deformation of quantum JT theory, we develop sensible semiclassical description of evaporating RST black holes. Nevertheless, our semiclassical solutions fail to resolve the information recovery problem, and they do not indicate formation of remnants. This means that either the standard semiclassical method incorrectly describes the evaporation process or the RST boundary makes the flat-space JT model fundamentally inconsistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two strong clues about the quantum structure of spacetime and the gravitational dynamics, which are almost universally ignored in the conventional approaches to quantize gravity. The first clue is that null surfaces exhibit (observer-dependent) thermal properties and possess a heat density. This suggests that spacetime, like matter, has microscopic degrees of freedom and its long wavelength limit should be described in thermodynamic language and not in a geometric language. Second clue is related to the existence of the cosmological constant. Its understanding from first-principles will require the dynamical principles of the theory to be invariant under the shift T b a → T b a + (const.) δ b a . This puts strong constraints on the nature of gravitational dynamics and excludes metric tensor as a fundamental dynamical variable. In fact, these two clues are closely related to each other. When the dynamical principles are recast, respecting the symmetry T b a → T b a + (const.) δ b a , they automatically acquire a thermodynamic interpretation related to the first clue. The first part of this review provides a pedagogical introduction to thermal properties of the horizons, including some novel derivations. The second part describes some aspects of cosmological constant problem and the last part provides a perspective on gravity which takes into account these principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study equilibrium configurations of a homogenous ball of matter in a bootstrapped description of gravity which includes a gravitational self-interaction term beyond the Newtonian coupling. Both matter density and pressure are accounted for as sources of the gravitational potential for test particles. Unlike the general relativistic case, no Buchdahl limit is found and the pressure can in principle support a star of arbitrarily large compactness. By defining the horizon as the location where the escape velocity of test particles equals the speed of light, like in Newtonian gravity, we find a minimum value of the compactness for which this occurs. The solutions for the gravitational potential here found could effectively describe the interior of macroscopic black holes in the quantum theory, as well as predict consequent deviations from general relativity in the strong field regime of very compact objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There ought to exist a reformulation of quantum theory which does not depend on classical time. To achieve such a reformulation, we introduce the concept of an atom of space-time-matter (STM). An STM atom is a classical noncommutative geometry (NCG), based on an asymmetric metric, and sourced by a closed string. Different such atoms interact via entanglement. The statistical thermodynamics of a large number of such atoms gives rise, at equilibrium, to a theory of quantum gravity. Far from equilibrium, where statistical fluctuations are large, the emergent theory reduces to classical general relativity. In this theory, classical black holes are far from equilibrium low entropy states, and their Hawking evaporation represents an attempt to return to the [maximum entropy] equilibrium quantum gravitational state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We found exact solutions for canonical classical and quantum dynamics for general relativity in Horwitz general covariance theory. These solutions can be obtained by solving the generalized geodesic equation and Schrödinger-Stueckelberg-Horwitz-Piron (SHP) wave equation for a simple harmonic oscillator in the background of a two dimensional dilaton black hole spacetime metric. We proved the existence of an orthonormal basis of eigenfunctions for generalized wave equation. This basis functions form an orthogonal and normalized (orthonormal) basis for an appropriate Hilbert space. The energy spectrum has a mixed spectrum with one conserved momentum p according to a quantum number n. To find the ground state energy we used a variational method with appropriate boundary conditions. A set of mode decomposed wave functions and calculated for the Stueckelberg-Schrodinger equation on a general five dimensional blackhole spacetime in Hamilton gauge. Highlights • Quantum gravity in SHP theory is considered as a general covariance theory. • Classical motion of test particle subjected to an arbitrary potential modifies geodesic curves and can be integrated analytically. • Quantum mechanics can be formulated as a 4+1 dimensional general covariance wave equation. • Eigenfunctions of the corresponding wave equation can be found using a set of orthonormal functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The motivation behind this study is to enumerate the leading order corrections to the thermodynamics of BTZ black hole (named after three scientists; Banados, Teitelboim, and Zanelli). We first analyze the effect of quantum corrections (motivated from string theory and loop quantum gravity) on various thermodynamic variables for uncharged and stationary BTZ black hole. We, later on, endow charges and rotations to the same black hole and rederive all the expressions once again. The comparative analysis is done between the corrected and uncorrected thermodynamics via plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we construct a deformed embedding of the Reissner–Nordstrøm (R-N) space–time within the framework of a noncommutative Riemannian geometry. We provide noncommutative corrections to the usual Riemannian expressions for the metric and curvature tensors. For the case of the metric tensor, the expression obtained possesses terms that are valid to all orders in the deformation parameter. Then we calculate the correction to the area of the event horizon of the corresponding noncommutative R-N black hole, obtaining an expression for the area of the black hole, which is correct up to fourth-order terms in the deformation parameter. Finally we include some comments on the noncommutative version on one of the second-order scalar invariants of the Riemann tensor, the so-called Kretschmann invariant, a quantity that is regularly used to extend gravity to the quantum level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the standard formalism of quantum gravity, black holes appear to form statistical distributions of quantum states. Now, however, we can present a theory that yields pure quantum states. It shows how particles entering a black hole can generate firewalls, which however can be removed, replacing them by the ‘footprints’ they produce in the out-going particles. This procedure can preserve the quantum information stored inside and around the black hole. We then focus on a subtle but unavoidable modification of the topology of the Schwarzschild metric: antipodal identification of points on the horizon. If it is true that vacuum fluctuations include virtual black holes, then the structure of space-time is radically different from what is usually thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apparent incompatibility between quantum theory and general relativity has long hampered efforts to find a quantum theory of gravity. The recently proposed positive formalism for quantum theory purports to remove this incompatibility. We showcase the power of the positive formalism by applying it to the black hole to white hole transition scenario that has been proposed as a possible effect of quantum gravity. We show how the characteristic observable of this scenario, the bounce time, can be predicted within the positive formalism, while a traditional S-matrix approach fails at this task. Our result also involves a conceptually novel use of positive operator valued measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove that Ricci-flat vacuum exact solutions are stable under linear perturbations in a new class of weakly non-local gravitational theories finite at the quantum level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, it is acknowledged that important attempts to devise an emergent quantum (gravity) theory require space-time to be discretized at the Planck scale. It is therefore conjectured that reality is identical to a sub-quantum dynamics of ontological micro-constituents that are connected by a single interaction law. To arrive at a complex system-based toy-model identification of these micro-constituents, two strategies are combined. First, by seeing gravity as an entropic phenomenon and generalizing the dimensional reduction of the associated holographic principle, the universal constants of free space are related to assumed attributes of the micro-constituents. Second, as the effective field dynamics of the micro-constituents must eventually obey Einstein's field equations, a sub-quantum interaction law is derived from a solution of these equations. A Planck-scale origin for thermodynamic black hole characteristics and novel views on entropic gravity theory result from this approach, which eventually provides a different view on quantum gravity and its unification with the fundamental forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review the general heat kernel method for the Dirac spinor field as an elementary example in any arbitrary background. We, then compute the first three Seeley-DeWitt coefficients for the massless free spin-3/2 Rarita-Schwinger field without imposing any limitations on the background geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General Relativity has shown an outstanding observational success in the scales where it has been directly tested. However, modifications have been intensively explored in the regimes where it seems either incomplete or signals its own limit of validity. In particular, the breakdown of unitarity near the Planck scale strongly suggests that General Relativity needs to be modified at high energies and quantum gravity effects are expected to be important. This is related to the existence of spacetime singularities when the solutions of General Relativity are extrapolated to regimes where curvatures are large. In this sense, Born–Infeld inspired modifications of gravity have shown an extraordinary ability to regularise the gravitational dynamics, leading to non-singular cosmologies and regular black hole spacetimes in a very robust manner and without resorting to quantum gravity effects. This has boosted the interest in these theories in applications to stellar structure, compact objects, inflationary scenarios, cosmological singularities, and black hole and wormhole physics, among others. We review the motivations, various formulations, and main results achieved within these theories, including their observational viability, and provide an overview of current open problems and future research opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criteria for thermal stability of charged rotating black holes of any dimension are derived for horizon areas that are large relative to the Planck area (in these dimensions). The derivation is based on generic assumptions of quantum geometry, supported by some results of loop quantum gravity, and equilibrium statistical mechanics of the Grand Canonical ensemble. There is no explicit use of classical spacetime geometry in this analysis. The only assumption is that the mass of the black hole is a function of its horizon area, charge and angular momentum. Our stability criteria are then tested in detail against specific classical black holes in spacetime dimensions 4 and 5, whose metrics provide us with explicit relations for the dependence of the mass on the charge and angular momentum of the black holes. This enables us to predict which of these black holes are expected to be thermally unstable under Hawking radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]