arXiv subjects

Erik A. Martinez

Publications and source records attributed to Erik A. Martinez.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv1996

The postulates of gravitational thermodynamics

The general principles and logical structure of a thermodynamic formalism that incorporates strongly self-gravitating systems are presented. This framework generalizes and simplifies the formulation of thermodynamics developed by Callen. The definition of extensive variables, the homogeneity properties of intensive parameters, and the fundamental problem of gravitational thermodynamics are discussed in detail. In particular, extensive parameters include quasilocal quantities and are naturally incorporated into a set of basic general postulates for thermodynamics. These include additivity of entropies (Massieu functions) and the generalized second law. Fundamental equations are no longer homogeneous first-order functions of their extensive variables. It is shown that the postulates lead to a formal resolution of the fundamental problem despite non-additivity of extensive parameters and thermodynamic potentials. Therefore, all the results of (gravitational) thermodynamics are an outgrowth of these postulates. The origin and nature of the differences with ordinary thermodynamics are analyzed. Consequences of the formalism include the (spatially) inhomogeneous character of thermodynamic equilibrium states, a reformulation of the Euler equation, and the absence of a Gibbs-Duhem relation.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Fundamental thermodynamical equation of a self-gravitating system

The features of the fundamental thermodynamical relation (expressing entropy as function of state variables) that arise from the self-gravitating character of a system are analyzed. The models studied include not only a spherically symmetric hot matter shell with constant particle number but also a black hole characterized by a general thermal equation of state. These examples illustrate the formal structure of thermodynamics developed by Callen as applied to a gravitational configuration as well as the phenomenological manner in which Einstein equations largely determine the thermodynamical equations of state. We consider in detail the thermodynamics and quasi-static collapse of a self-gravitating shell. This includes a discussion of intrinsic stability for a one-parameter family of thermal equations of state and the interpretation of the Bekenstein bound. The entropy growth associated with a collapsing sequence of equilibrium states of a shell is computed under different boundary conditions in the quasi-static approximation and compared with black hole entropy. Although explicit expressions involve empirical coefficients, these are constrained by physical conditions of thermodynamical origin. The absence of a Gibbs-Duhem relation and the associated scaling laws for self-gravitating matter systems are presented.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

Entropy of eternal black holes

The entropy of a quantum-statistical system which is classically approximated by a general stationary eternal black hole is studied by means of a microcanonical functional integral. This approach opens the possibility of including explicitly the internal degrees of freedom of a physical black hole in path integral descriptions of its thermodynamical properties. If the functional integral is interpreted as the density of states of the system, the corresponding entropy equals ${cal S} = A_H/4 - A_H/4 =0$ in the semiclassical approximation, where $A_H$ is the area of the black hole horizon. The functional integral reflects the properties of a pure state.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

On critical behaviour in gravitational collapse

We give an approach to studying the critical behaviour that has been observed in numerical studies of gravitational collapse. These studies suggest, among other things, that black holes initially form with infinitesimal mass. We show generally how a black hole mass formula can be extracted from a transcendental equation. Using our approach, we give an explicit one parameter set of metrics that are asymptotically flat and describe the collapse of apriori unspecified but physical matter fields. The black hole mass formula obtained from this metric exhibits a mass gap - that is, at the onset of black hole formation, the mass is finite and non-zero.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

Microcanonical functional integral and entropy for eternal black holes

The microcanonical functional integral for an eternal black hole system is considered. This requires computing the microcanonical action for a spatially bounded spacetime region when its two disconnected timelike boundary surfaces are located in different wedges of the Kruskal diagram. The path integral is a sum over Lorentzian geometries and is evaluated semiclassically when its boundary data are chosen such that the system is approximated by any Lorentzian, stationary eternal black hole. This approach opens the possibility of including explicitly the internal degrees of freedom of a physical black hole in path integral descriptions of its thermodynamical properties. If the functional integral is interpreted as the density of states of the system, the corresponding entropy equals ${\cal S} = A_H/4 - A_H/4 = 0$ in the semiclassical approximation, where $A_H$ is the area of the black hole horizon. The functional integral reflects the properties of a pure state. The description of the black hole density of states in terms of the eternal black hole functional integral is also discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Action and Hamiltonian for eternal black holes

We present the Hamiltonian, quasilocal energy, and angular momentum for a spacetime region spatially bounded by two timelike surfaces. The results are applied to the particular case of a spacetime representing an eternal black hole. It is shown that in the case when the boundaries are located in two different wedges of the Kruskal diagram, the Hamiltonian is of the form $H = H_+ - H_-$, where $H_+$ and $H_-$ are the Hamiltonian functions for the right and left wedges respectively. The application of the obtained results to the thermofield dynamics description of quantum effects in black holes is briefly discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Quasilocal Energy for a Kerr black hole

The quasilocal energy associated with a constant stationary time slice of the Kerr spacetime is presented. The calculations are based on a recent proposal \cite{by} in which quasilocal energy is derived from the Hamiltonian of spatially bounded gravitational systems. Three different classes of boundary surfaces for the Kerr slice are considered (constant radius surfaces, round spheres, and the ergosurface). Their embeddings in both the Kerr slice and flat three-dimensional space (required as a normalization of the energy) are analyzed. The energy contained within each surface is explicitly calculated in the slow rotation regime and its properties discussed in detail. The energy is a positive, monotonically decreasing function of the boundary surface radius. It approaches the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) mass at spatial infinity and reduces to (twice) the irreducible mass at the horizon of the Kerr black hole. The expressions possess the correct static limit and include negative contributions due to gravitational binding. The energy at the ergosurface is compared with the energies at other surfaces. Finally, the difficulties involved in an estimation of the energy in the fast rotation regime are discussed.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Eternal Black Holes and Quasilocal Energy

We present the gravitational action and Hamiltonian for a spatially bounded region of an eternal black hole. The Hamiltonian is of the general form $H=H_{+} - H_{-}$, where $H_{+}$ and $H_{-}$ are respectively the Hamiltonians for the regions $M_+$ and $M_-$ located in the left and right wedges of the spacetime. We construct explicitly the quasilocal energy for the system and discuss its dependence on the time direction induced at the boundaries of the manifold. This paper extends the analysis of Ref.~[1] to spacetimes possesing a bifurcation surface and two timelike boundaries. The construction suggests that an interpretation of black hole thermodynamics based on thermofield dynamics ideas can be generalized beyond perturbations to the gravitational field itself of a bounded spacetime region (based on the talk presented by E.A. Martinez at the Lake Louise Winter School on Particle Physics and Cosmology, February 20-26, 1994.)

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Exact solution for scalar field collapse

We give an exact spherically symmetric solution for the Einstein-scalar field system. The solution may be interpreted as an inhomogeneous dynamical scalar field cosmology. The spacetime has a timelike conformal Killing vector field and is asymptotically conformally flat. It also has black or white hole-like regions containing trapped surfaces. We describe the properties of the apparent horizon and comment on the relevance of the solution to the recently discovered critical behaviour in scalar field collapse.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1993

On time and the quantum-to-classical transition in Jordan-Brans-Dicke quantum gravity

Any quantum theory of gravity which treats the gravitational constant as a dynamical variable has to address the issue of superpositions of states corresponding to different eigenvalues. We show how the unobservability of such superpositions can be explained through the interaction with other gravitational degrees of freedom (decoherence). The formal framework is canonically quantized Jordan-Brans-Dicke theory. We discuss the concepts of intrinsic time and semiclassical time as well as the possibility of tunneling into regions corresponding to a negative gravitational constant. We calculate the reduced density matrix of the Jordan-Brans-Dicke field and show that the off-diagonal elements can be sufficiently suppressed to be consistent with experiments. The possible relevance of this mechanism for structure formation in extended inflation is briefly discussed.

gr-qc↗