Simulating Semiclassical Black Holes

Tools

Berczi, Benjamin (2024) Simulating Semiclassical Black Holes. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.

[thumbnail of Final corrected version of PhD thesis.]
Preview
 PDF (Final corrected version of PhD thesis.) (Thesis - as examined) - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Available under Licence Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (10MB) | Preview

Abstract

In this thesis the first attempts to study the real-time dynamics of semiclassical gravitational collapse and semiclassical black holes are presented. Specifically, the chosen system is a massless quantum scalar field coupled to Einstein gravity in spherical symmetry in four dimensions. The semiclassical system is built using a coherent state as the chosen quantum state, which enables the semiclassical simulations to connect to classical ones. Thus, the existing literature of classical collapse can be utilised and semiclassical simulations can be built upon them. The quantum field is regularised using dynamical Pauli-Villars fields. This formalism is ideal to study semiclassical gravitational collapse and critical phenomena, as well as correlation functions to look for signals of Hawking radiation.

The thesis explores multiple formulations of such simulations, both in terms of the system of equations and numerical methods. The first part of the thesis uses the ADM formulation of the Einstein equations whilst the second part uses the characteristic formulation. For both cases the formation of semiclassical black holes is presented with associated quantum effects around the black holes. Backreaction is studied and the effect of the quantum effects on the resulting black hole masses are analysed. In addition, the first study of a semiclassical version of Choptuik scaling is presented. Correlation functions are studied and long-range correlations are found between the inside and outside of the horizon of black holes, however, whether or not these correspond to Hawking radiation remains a question.

Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (PhD)
Supervisors: Saffin, Paul M.
Keywords: quantum field theory, general relativity, semiclassical gravity, black hole, simulation
Subjects: Q Science > QB Astronomy
Faculties/Schools: UK Campuses > Faculty of Science > School of Physics and Astronomy
Item ID: 77527
Depositing User: Berczi, Benjamin
Date Deposited: 23 Jul 2024 04:40
Last Modified: 23 Jul 2024 04:40
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/77527

Actions (Archive Staff Only)

Edit View Edit View