arXiv subjects

Gary T. Horowitz

Publications and source records attributed to Gary T. Horowitz.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv1996

Counting States of Black Strings with Traveling Waves

We consider a family of solutions to string theory which depend on arbitrary functions and contain regular event horizons. They describe six dimensional extremal black strings with traveling waves and have an inhomogeneous distribution of momentum along the string. The structure of these solutions near the horizon is studied and the horizon area computed. We also count the number of BPS string states at weak coupling whose macroscopic momentum distribution agrees with that of the black string. It is shown that the number of such states is given by the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of the black string with traveling waves.

hep-th↗

arXiv1996

Where is the Information Stored in Black Holes?

It is shown that many modes of the gravitational field exist only inside the horizon of an extreme black hole in string theory. At least in certain cases, the number of such modes is sufficient to account for the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. These modes are associated with sources which carry Ramond-Ramond charge, and so may be viewed as the strong coupling limit of D-branes. Although these sources naturally live at the singularity, they are well defined and generate modes which extend out to the horizon. This suggests that the information in an extreme black hole is not localized near the singularity or the horizon, but extends between them.

hep-th↗

arXiv1996

Tests of Cosmic Censorship in the Ernst Spacetime

The Ernst spacetime is a solution of the Einstein-Maxwell equations describing two charged black holes accelerating apart in a uniform electric (or magnetic) field. As the field approaches a critical value, the black hole horizon appears to touch the acceleration horizon. We show that weak cosmic censorship cannot be violated by increasing the field past this critical value: The event horizon remains intact. On the other hand, strong cosmic censorship does appear to be violated in this spacetime: For a certain range of parameters, we find evidence that the inner horizon is classically stable.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Counting States of Black Strings with Traveling Waves II

We extend our recent analysis of the entropy of extremal black strings with traveling waves. We previously considered waves carrying linear momentum on black strings in six dimensions. Here we study waves carrying angular momentum on these strings, and also waves carrying linear momentum on black strings in five dimensions. In both cases, we show that the horizon remains homogeneous and compute its area. We also count the number of BPS states at weak string coupling with the same distribution of linear and angular momentum, and find complete agreement with the black string entropy.

hep-th↗

arXiv1996

An Extreme Black Hole with Electric Dipole Moment

We construct a new extreme black hole solution in toroidally compactified heterotic string theory. The black hole saturates the Bogomol'nyi bound, has zero angular momentum, but nonzero electric dipole moment. It is obtained by starting with a higher dimensional rotating charged black hole, and compactifying one direction in the plane of rotation.

hep-th↗

arXiv1995

Quantum Probes of Spacetime Singularities

It is shown that there are static spacetimes with timelike curvature singularities which appear completely nonsingular when probed with quantum test particles. Examples include extreme dilatonic black holes and the fundamental string solution. In these spacetimes, the dynamics of quantum particles is well defined and uniquely determined.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1995

The Value of Singularities

We point out that spacetime singularities play a useful role in gravitational theories by eliminating unphysical solutions. In particular, we argue that any modification of general relativity which is completely nonsingular cannot have a stable ground state. This argument applies both to classical extensions of general relativity, and to candidate quantum theories of gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1994

Higher-dimensional resolution of dilatonic black hole singularities

We show that the four-dimensional extreme dilaton black hole with dilaton coupling constant $a= \sqrt{p/(p+2)}$ can be interpreted as a {\it completely non-singular}, non-dilatonic, black $p$-brane in $(4+p)$ dimensions provided that $p$ is {\it odd}. Similar results are obtained for multi-black holes and dilatonic extended objects in higher spacetime dimensions. The non-singular black $p$-brane solutions include the self-dual three brane of ten-dimensional N=2B supergravity and a multi-fivebrane solution of eleven-dimensional supergravity. In the case of a supersymmetric non-dilatonic $p$-brane solution of a supergravity theory, we show that it saturates a bound on the energy per unit $p$-volume.

hep-th↗

arXiv1994

A New Class of Exact Solutions in String Theory

We prove that a large class of leading order string solutions which generalize both the plane-wave and fundamental string backgrounds are, in fact, exact solutions to all orders in α'. These include, in particular, the traveling waves along the fundamental string. The key features of these solutions are a null symmetry and a chiral coupling of the string to the background. Using dimensional reduction, one finds that the extremal electric dilatonic black holes and their recently discovered generalizations with NUT charge and rotation are also exact solutions. We show that our bosonic solutions are also exact solutions of the heterotic string theory with no extra gauge field background.

hep-th↗

arXiv1994

Entropy, Area, and Black Hole Pairs

We clarify the relation between gravitational entropy and the area of horizons. We first show that the entropy of an extreme Reissner-Nordström black hole is $zero$, despite the fact that its horizon has nonzero area. Next, we consider the pair creation of extremal and nonextremal black holes. It is shown that the action which governs the rate of this pair creation is directly related to the area of the acceleration horizon and (in the nonextremal case) the area of the black hole event horizon. This provides a simple explanation of the result that the rate of pair creation of non-extreme black holes is enhanced by precisely the black hole entropy. Finally, we discuss black hole $annihilation$, and argue that Planck scale remnants are not sufficient to preserve unitarity in quantum gravity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1993

On Pair Creation of Extremal Black Holes and Kaluza-Klein Monopoles

Classical solutions describing charged dilaton black holes accelerating in a background magnetic field have recently been found. They include the Ernst metric of the Einstein-Maxwell theory as a special case. We study the extremal limit of these solutions in detail, both at the classical and quantum levels. It is shown that near the event horizon, the extremal solutions reduce precisely to the static extremal black hole solutions. For a particular value of the dilaton coupling, these extremal black holes are five dimensional Kaluza-Klein monopoles. The euclidean sections of these solutions can be interpreted as instantons describing the pair creation of extremal black holes/Kaluza-Klein monopoles in a magnetic field. The action of these instantons is calculated and found to agree with the Schwinger result in the weak field limit. For the euclidean Ernst solution, the action for the extremal solution differs from that of the previously discussed wormhole instanton by the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. However, in many cases quantum corrections become large in the vicinity of the black hole, and the precise description of the creation process is unknown.

hep-th↗

arXiv1993

Duality Invariance of the Hawking Temperature and Entropy

We consider solutions to low energy string theory which have a horizon and a spacelike symmetry. Each of these solutions has a geometrically different dual description. We show that the dual solution has a horizon with exactly the same Hawking temperature (surface gravity) and entropy (area) as the original solution.

hep-th↗

arXiv1993

Cosmic Censorship and the Dilaton

We investigate extremal electrically charged black holes in Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory with a cosmological constant inspired by string theory. These solutions are not static, and a timelike singularity eventually appears which is not surrounded by an event horizon. This suggests that cosmic censorship may be violated in this theory.

hep-th↗

arXiv1993

Exact Three Dimensional Black Holes in String Theory

A black hole solution to three dimensional general relativity with a negative cosmological constant has recently been found. We show that a slight modification of this solution yields an exact solution to string theory. This black hole is equivalent (under duality) to the previously discussed three dimensional black string solution. Since the black string is asymptotically flat and the black hole is asymptotically anti-de Sitter, this suggests that strings are not affected by a negative cosmological constant in three dimensions.

hep-th↗

arXiv1993

What is the True Description of Charged Black Holes?

If string theory describes nature, then charged black holes are not described by the Reissner-Nordstrom solution. This solution must be modified to include a massive dilaton. In the limit of vanishing dilaton mass, the new solution can be found by a generalization of the Harrison transformation for the Einstein-Maxwell equations. These two solution generating transformations and the resulting black holes are compared. It is shown that the extremal black hole with massless dilaton can be viewed as the ``square root" of the extremal Reissner-Nordstrom solution. When the dilaton mass is included, extremal black holes are repulsive, and it is energetically favorable for them to bifurcate into smaller holes. (To appear in the Festschrift for Dieter Brill)

gr-qc↗

arXiv1992

The Dark Side of String Theory: Black Holes and Black Strings

Solutions to low energy string theory describing black holes and black strings are reviewed. Many of these solutions can be obtained by applying simple solution generating transformations to the Schwarzschild metric. In a few cases, the corresponding exact conformal field theory is known. Various properties of these solutions are discussed including their global structure, singularities, and Hawking temperature. (This review is based on lectures given at the 1992 Trieste Spring School on String Theory and Quantum Gravity.)

hep-th↗

arXiv1992

Rotating Dilaton Black Holes

It is shown that an arbitrarily small amount of angular momentum can qualitatively change the properties of extremal charged black holes coupled to a dilaton. In addition, the gyromagnetic ratio of these black holes is computed and an exact rotating black string solution is presented.

hep-th↗

arXiv1991

An Equivalence Between Momentum and Charge in String Theory

It is shown that for a translationally invariant solution to string theory, spacetime duality interchanges the momentum in the symmetry direction and the axion charge per unit length. As one application, we show explicitly that charged black strings are equivalent to boosted (uncharged) black strings. The extremal black strings (which correspond to the field outside of a fundamental macroscopic string) are equivalent to plane fronted waves describing strings moving at the speed of light.

hep-th↗