arXiv subjects

Manuel Del Piano

Publications and source records attributed to Manuel Del Piano.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Analytic backreaction of a scalar wig on a Schwarzschild black hole

We analytically determine the leading backreaction of a spherically symmetric massive complex scalar quasi-bound state (with mass $μ$) on a Schwarzschild black hole with (initial) gravitational radius $r_0$. Working in the small-coupling regime, $r_0 μ\ll 1$, we evaluate the stress-energy tensor of the fundamental scalar $s$-wave and solve the Einstein equations through quadratic order in its amplitude in ingoing Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates. We also determine the small-mass quasi-resonant frequency of the fundamental $s$-wave analytically by matched asymptotic expansions and validate it numerically using Leaver's method. Unlike steady-state treatments, the calculation retains the exponential decay of the quasi-bound state. We obtain explicit expressions for the metric perturbations and Misner-Sharp mass and derive the evolution of the future outer trapping horizon. The black-hole mass grows monotonically with the decaying horizon flux and saturates when the finite scalar cloud has been absorbed, with the decrease of the cloud mass exactly balancing the horizon growth at the perturbative order considered. We also determine the domain in which the scalar small-coupling approximation and the gravitational perturbative expansion are simultaneously valid.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

When Black Holes Can Wear Pants

We investigate the conditions under which black hole fragmentation, the splitting of a black hole horizon into multiple smaller ones, may occur. The simplest realization is that of a single black hole horizon splitting into two, giving rise to the eponymous pants topology. In classical general relativity, the Bekenstein-Hawking area law forbids such processes for Schwarzschild black holes. For spinning Kerr black holes, purely kinematic analyses impose constraints that prevent fragmentation, even in regimes where entropy considerations might allow it, except possibly in near-extremal cases. We then hunt for scenarios where black holes can wear pants: from the well-known Gregory-Laflamme instability in higher dimensions, to the potential effect of superradiant instabilities in non-axisymmetric radiation trapping, to finally gravitational models that modify the relations between entropy and/or horizon radius and the black hole mass in four dimensions. In all such cases, emission of small fragments can be entropically favored, however its occurrence still depends on the kinematic configuration of the initial state. Our analysis clarifies the theoretical landscape where black holes may fragment, which is particularly relevant for primordial black holes and catastrophic events such as black hole mergers.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Toward a unified view of agnostic parametrizations for deformed black holes

A variety of robust and effective descriptions have been devised to extract model-independent information about the fundamental properties of black holes from observational data when searching for deviations from general relativity. In this work, we construct explicit transformation maps establishing the equivalence among three relevant parametrizations for different spacetime patches: Johannsen-Psaltis, Rezzolla-Zhidenko, and Effective Metric Description. We then select representative black hole geometries to determine the minimal number of parameters required within each scheme to reproduce the associated quasi-normal mode spectra with a prescribed degree of accuracy. Our analysis shows that, for the given observables, a finite set of coefficients suffices to attain the desired precision in the three frameworks. Finally, we emphasize how the individual strengths of these effective descriptions can be exploited to probe complementary aspects of black hole physics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Black hole solutions in quantum phenomenological gravitational dynamics

We investigate black hole solutions within a phenomenological approach to quantum gravity based on spacetime thermodynamics developed by Alonso-Serrano and Liška. The field equations are traceless, similarly to unimodular gravity, and include quadratic curvature corrections. We find that static, spherically symmetric, vacuum spacetimes in this theory split into two branches. The first branch is indistinguishable from corresponding solutions in unimodular gravity and describes Schwarzschild-(Anti) de Sitter black holes. The second branch instead describes horizonless solutions and is characterized by large values of the spatial curvature. We analyze the dynamics of first-order metric perturbations on both branches, showing that there are no deviations from unimodular gravity at this level.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Effective Metric Description of Charged Black Holes

Charged black holes arise as solutions of General Relativity (GR) coupled to Maxwell theory. As functions of the mass and charge, they can exhibit extremal behavior, in which case they are stable against thermal decay. (Quantum) corrections to GR are expected to alter the classical features of these objects, especially near extremality. To capture such effects in a model-independent way, we extend the Effective Metric Description (EMD) previously introduced in [Phys.Rev.D 109 (2024) 2, 024045, Eur.Phys.J.C 84 (2024) 12, 1273] for spherically symmetric and static black holes. The EMD parametrizes deformations of the metric in terms of physical quantities, such as the radial spatial distance to the event horizon. While the latter is still viable for non-extremal charged black holes, we argue that the proper time of a free-falling observer is better suited in the extremal case: we derive the necessary conditions for the parameters of such an EMD for constructing a consistent space-time in the vicinity of the (extremal) horizon. Finally, we illustrate our framework through a concrete example, and mention implications of the Weak Gravity Conjecture on the effective metric parameters.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Black Hole Shadow and other Observables away from the Horizon: Extending the Effective Metric Descriptions

In previous work we have developed a model-independent, effective description of quantum deformed, spherically symmetric and static black holes in four dimensions. The deformations of the metric are captured by two functions of the physical distance to the horizon, which are provided in the form of self-consistent Taylor series expansions. While this approach efficiently captures physical observables in the immediate vicinity of the horizon, it is expected to encounter problems of convergence at further distances. Therefore, we demonstrate in this paper how to use Padé approximants to extend the range of applicability of this framework. We provide explicit approximations of physical observables that depend on finitely many effective parameters of the deformed black hole geometry, depending on the order of the Padé approximant. By taking the asymptotic limit of this order, we in particular provide a closed-form expression for the black hole shadow of the (fully) deformed geometry, which captures the leading quantum corrections. We illustrate our results for a number of quantum black holes previously proposed in the literature and find that our effective approach provides excellent approximations in all cases.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Effective Metric Descriptions of Quantum Black Holes

In a recent work [arXiv:2307.13489 [gr-qc]], we have described spherically symmetric and static quantum black holes as deformations of the classical Schwarzschild metric that depend on the physical distance to the horizon. We have developed a framework that allows to compute the latter in a self-consistent fashion from the deformed geometry, in the vicinity of the horizon. However, in this formalism, the distance can be replaced by other physical quantities, e.g. curvature invariants such as the Ricci- or Kretschmann scalar. Here, we therefore define a more general framework, which we call an "effective metric description" (EMD), that captures the deformed geometry based on a generic physical quantity. We develop in detail the Ricci- and Kretschmann scalar EMD, in particular demonstrating how to compute the geometry in a self-consistent manner. Moreover, we provide explicit relations that allow to express one EMD in terms of the others, thus demonstrating their equivalence.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

UV finite GUT with SUSY Breaking

We provide an example of an ultraviolet finite supersymmetric grand unified theory of safe rather than free nature endowed with a supersymmetric dynamical breaking mechanism. Our results simultaneously enlarge the number of ultraviolet consistent supersymmetric grand unified theories while providing a relevant example of how to achieve a consistent ultraviolet safe extension of the Standard Model enjoying the benefits of grand unified theories.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Living on the Edge: Quantum Black Hole Physics from the Event Horizon

Quantum gravity theories predict deformations of black hole solutions relative to their classical counterparts. A model-independent approach was advocated in \cite{Binetti:2022xdi} that uses metric deformations parametrised in terms of physical quantities, such as the proper distance. While such a description manifestly preserves the invariance of the space-time under coordinate transformations, concrete computations are hard to tackle since the distance is defined in terms of the deformed metric itself. In this work, for spherically symmetric and static metrics, we provide a self-consistent framework allowing us to compute the distance function in close vicinity to the event horizon of a black hole. By assuming a minimal degree of regularity at the horizon, we provide explicit (series) expansions of the metric. This allows us to compute important thermodynamical quantities of the black hole, such as the Hawking temperature and entropy, for which we provide model-independent expressions, beyond a large mass expansion. Moreover, imposing for example the absence of curvature singularities at the event horizon leads to non-trivial consistency conditions for the metric deformations themselves, which we find to be violated by some models in the literature.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

The Effective Theory of Quantum Black Holes

We explore the quantum nature of black holes by introducing an effective framework that takes into account deviations from the classical results. The approach is based on introducing quantum corrections to the classical Schwarzschild geometry in a way that is consistent with the physical scales of the black hole and its classical symmetries. This is achieved by organizing the quantum corrections in inverse powers of a physical distance. By solving the system in a self-consistent way we show that the derived physical quantities, such as event horizons, temperature and entropy can be expressed in a well defined expansion in the inverse powers of the black hole mass. The approach captures the general form of the quantum corrections to black hole physics without requiring to commit to a specific model of quantum gravity.

gr-qc↗