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DOE OSTI2023

Black hole horizon edge partition functions

We extend a formula for 1-loop black hole determinants by Denef, Hartnoll, and Sachdev (DHS) to spinning fields on any (d + 1)-dimensional static spherically symmetric black hole. By carefully analyzing the regularity condition imposed on the Euclidean eigenfunctions, we reveal an unambiguous bulk-edge split in the 1-loop Euclidean partition function for tensor fields of arbitrary integer spin: the bulk part captures the “renormalized” thermal canonical partition function recently discussed in [1]; the edge part is related to quasinormal modes (QNMs) that fail to analytically continue to a subset of Euclidean modes with enhanced fall-offs near the origin. Since the edge part takes the form of a path integral on S d–1 , this suggests that these are associated with degrees of freedom living on the bifurcation surface in the Lorentzian two-sided black hole geometry. For massive higher spin on static BTZ and massive vector on Nariai black holes, we find that the edge partition function is related to the QNMs with lowest overtone numbers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Dark black holes in the mass gap

Abstract In the standard picture of stellar evolution, pair-instability — the energy loss in stellar cores due to electron-positron pair production — is predicted to prevent the collapse of massive stars into black holes with mass in the range between approximately 50 and 130 solar masses — a range known as the “black hole mass gap”. LIGO and Virgo detection of black hole binary mergers containing one or both black holes with masses in thismass gapthus challenges the standard picture, possibly pointing to an unexpected merger history, unanticipated or poorly understood astrophysical mechanisms, or new physics. Here, we entertain the possibility that a “dark sector” exists, consisting of dark electrons, dark protons, and electromagnetic-like interactions, but no nuclear forces. Dark stars would inevitably form given such dark sector constituents, possibly collapsing into black holes with masses within the mass gap. We study in detail the cooling processes necessary for successful stellar collapse in the dark sector and show that for suitable choices of the particle masses, we indeed predict populating the mass gap with dark sector black holes. In particular, we numerically find that the heavier of the two dark sector massive particles cannot be lighter than, approximately, the visible sector proton for the resulting dark sector black holes to have masses within the mass gap. We discuss constraints on this scenario and how to test it with future, larger black hole merger statistics.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

DOE OSTI2020

Exploring Primordial Black Holes from the Multiverse with Optical Telescopes

Primordial black holes (PBHs) are a viable candidate for dark matter if the PBH masses are in the currently unconstrained “sublunar” mass range. We revisit the possibility that PBHs were produced by nucleation of false vacuum bubbles during inflation. We show that this scenario can produce a population of PBHs that simultaneously accounts for all dark matter, explains the candidate event in the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) data, and contains both heavy black holes as observed by LIGO and very heavy seeds of supermassive black holes. Here, we demonstrate with numerical studies that future observations of HSC, as well as other optical surveys, such as LSST, will be able to provide a definitive test for this generic PBH formation mechanism if it is the dominant source of dark matter.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Searching for Exploding black holes

Abstract The observation of the final stages of the evaporation of a light black hole, which Hawking referred to as “black hole explosion”, would offer critical insights on quantum gravity and high-energy physics phenomena. Here, we explore, review, and revisit the observational features and rates expected for nearby, light, evaporating black holes, and we assess and compare the expected sensitivity of a broad range of observatories. We then focus on the search for candidate black hole explosions in archival data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope and Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, and outline possible future observational campaigns.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

NASA NTRS2003

Formation of Supermassive Black Holes in Galactic Bulges: A Rotating Collapse Model Consistent with the M(sub BH-sigma) Relation

Motivated by the observed correlation between black hole masses M(sub BH) and the velocity dispersion sigma of host galaxies, we develop a theoretical model of black hole formation in galactic bulges (this paper generalizes an earlier ApJ Letter). The model assumes an initial state specified by a uniform rotation rate OMEGA and a density distribution of the form rho = a(sup 2)(sub eff)per2piGR(sup 2)(so that a(sub eff)is an effective transport speed). The black hole mass is determined when the centrifugal radius of the collapse flow exceeds the capture radius of the central black hole (for Schwarzschild geometry). This model reproduces the observed correlation between the estimated black hole masses and the velocity dispersions of galactic bulges, i.e., M(sub BH) approximately equal to 10(sup 8) solar mass(sigma per 200 kilometers per second)(sup 4) where sigma = the square root of 2a(sub eff). To obtain this normalization, the rotation rate OMEGA approximately equal to 2 x 10(exp -15) rad per second. The model also defines a bulge mass scale M(sub B). If we identify the scale M(sub B) with the bulge mass, the model determines the ratio mu(sub B) of black hole mass to the host mass: mu(sub B) approximately equal to 0.0024(sigma per 200 kilometer per second), again in reasonable agreement with observed values. In this scenario, supermassive black holes form quickly (in approximately 10(exp 5) yr) and are born rapidly rotating (with a per M approximately 0.9). This paper also shown how these results depend on the assumed initial conditions; the most important quantity is the initial distribution of specific angular momentum in the precollapse state.

Adams, Fred C.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Mode stability for massless scalars in five-dimensional black hole backgrounds

The mode stability of the Kerr black hole in four dimensions was demonstrated by Whiting in 1989, by separating the Teukolsky equation that describes gravitational perturbations and then transforming the radial and angular equations in such a way that the problem can be reformulated as a wave equation in an auxiliary spacetime in which the proof of stability is greatly simplified, owing to the absence of an ergoregion. As a preliminary step towards extending these ideas to higher-dimensional black holes, we study the mode stability of the massless scalar wave equation in the five-dimensional black hole solutions of Einstein gravity and supergravity. We show how the wave equation can again be mapped into one in an auxiliary spacetime in which there is no ergoregion, allowing us to give a proof of the mode stability of the solutions of the scalar wave equation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1992

Quasar evolution and the growth of black holes

A 'minimalist' model of AGN evolution is analyzed that links the measured luminosity function to an elementary description of black hole accretion. The observed luminosity function of bright AGN is extrapolated and simple prescriptions for the growth and luminosity of black holes are introduced to infer quasar birth rates, mean fueling rates, and relict black hole distribution functions. It is deduced that the mean accretion rate scales as (M exp -1./5)(t exp -6.7) and that, for the most conservative model used, the number of relict black holes per decade declines only as M exp -0.4 for black hole masses between 3 x 10 exp 7 and 3 x 10 exp 9 solar masses. If all sufficiently massive galaxies pass through a quasar phase with asymptotic black hole mass a monotonic function of the galaxy mass, then it is possible to compare the space density of galaxies with estimated central masses to that of distant quasars.

Small, Todd A.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Black hole perturbations and quasinormal modes in hybrid metric-Palatini gravity

The rapid advancement of gravitational wave astronomy in recent years has paved the way for the burgeoning development of black hole spectroscopy, which enhances the possibility of testing black holes by their quasinormal modes (QNMs). In this paper, the axial gravitational perturbations and the QNM frequencies of black holes in the hybrid metric-Palatini gravity (HMPG) are investigated. Additionally, the HMPG theory is characterized by a dynamical scalar degree of freedom and is able to explain the late-time accelerating expansion of the universe without introducing any ad hoc screening mechanism to preserve the dynamics at the Solar System scale. We obtain the master equation governing the axial gravitational perturbations of the HMPG black holes and calculate the QNM frequencies. Moreover, in the scrutiny of the black holes and their QNMs, we take into account the constraints on the model parameters based on the post-Newtonian analysis, and show how the QNM frequencies of the HMPG black holes would be altered in the observationally consistent range of parameter space.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Bremsstrahlung in GRMHD Models of Accreting Black Holes

Here, the role of bremsstrahlung in the emission from hot accretion flows around slowly accreting supermassive black holes is not thoroughly understood. In order to appraise the importance of bremsstrahlung relative to other radiative processes, we compute spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of accretion disks around slowly accreting supermassive black holes including synchrotron radiation, inverse Compton scattering, and bremsstrahlung. We compute SEDs for (i) four axisymmetric radiative general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (RadGRMHD) simulations of 10 8 M ⊙ black holes with accretion rates between 10 -8 $\dot{M}$ Edd and 10 -5 $\dot{M}$ Edd , (ii) four axisymmetric RadGRMHD simulations of M87* with varying dimensionless spin a$_*$ and black hole mass, and (iii) a 3D GRMHD simulation scaled for Sgr A*. At 10 -8 $\dot{M}$ Edd , most of the luminosity is synchrotron radiation, while at 10 -5 $\dot{M}$ Edd the three radiative processes have similar luminosities. In most models, bremsstrahlung dominates the SED near 512 keV. In the M87* models, bremsstrahlung dominates this part of the SED if a$_*$ = 0.5, but inverse Compton scattering dominates if a$_*$ = 0.9375. Since scattering is more variable than bremsstrahlung, this result suggests that 512 keV variability could be a diagnostic of black hole spin. In the appendix, we compare some bremsstrahlung formulæ found in the literature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

O Corona, where art thou? eROSITA’s view of UV-optical-IR variability-selected massive black holes in low-mass galaxies

Finding massive black holes (MBHs,M BH ≈ 10 4 –10 7 M ⊙ ) in the nuclei of low-mass galaxies $\left( {{M_*}\mathop {\mathop < \limits_ }\limits_ {{10}^{10}}{M_ \odot }} \right)$ is crucial to constrain seeding and growth of black holes over cosmic time, but it is particularly challenging due to their low accretion luminosities. Variability selection via long-term photometric ultraviolet, optical, or infrared (UVOIR) light curves has proved effective and identifies lower-Eddington ratios compared to broad and narrow optical spectral lines searches. In the inefficient accretion regime, X-ray and radio searches are effective, but they have been limited to small samples. Therefore, differences between selection techniques have remained uncertain. Here, we present the first large systematic investigation of the X-ray properties of a sample of known MBH candidates in dwarf galaxies. We extracted X-ray photometry and spectra of a sample of ~200 UVOIR variability-selected MBHs and significantly detected 17 of them in the deepest available SRG/eROSITA image, of which four are newly discovered X-ray sources and two are new secure MBHs. This implies that tens to hundreds of LSST MBHs will have SRG/eROSITA counterparts, depending on the seeding model adopted. Surprisingly, the stacked X-ray images of the many non-detected MBHs are incompatible with standard disk-corona relations, typical of active galactic nuclei, inferred from both the optical and radio fluxes. They are instead compatible with the X-ray emission predicted for normal galaxies. After careful consideration of potential biases, we identified that this X-ray weakness needs a physical origin. A possibility is that a canonical X-ray corona might be lacking in the majority of this population of UVOIR-variability selected low-mass galaxies or that unusual accretion modes and spectral energy distributions are in place for MBHs in dwarf galaxies. This result reveals the potential for severe biases in occupation fractions derived from data from only one waveband combined with SEDs and scaling relations of more massive black holes and galaxies.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

DOE OSTI2024

On small black holes in string theory

Abstract We discuss the worldsheet sigma-model whose target space is thed+1 dimensional Euclidean Schwarzschild black hole. We argue that in the limit where the Hawking temperature of the black hole,T, approaches the Hagedorn temperature,T H , it can be described in terms of a generalized version of the Horowitz-Polchinski effective theory. Ford≥ 6, where the Horowitz-Polchinski EFT [1, 2] does not have suitable solutions, the modified effective Lagrangian allows one to study the black hole CFT in an expansion in powers ofd− 6 andT H −T. AtT=T H , the sigma model is non-trivial for alld> 6. It exhibits an enhanced SU(2) symmetry, and is described by a non-abelian Thirring model with a radially dependent coupling. The resulting picture connects naturally to the results of [3–5], that relate Schwarzschild black holes in flat spacetime at largedto the two dimensional black hole. We also discuss an analogous open string system, in which the black hole is replaced by a system of two separated D-branes connected by a throat. In this system, the asymptotic separation of the branes plays the role of the inverse temperature. At the critical separation, the system is described by a Kondo-type model, which again exhibits an enhanced SU(2) symmetry. At larged, the brane system gives rise to the hairpin brane [6].

Physics↗

NASA NTRS1970

Black holes in elliptical galaxies

Black hole objects in elliptical galaxies, using stellar light and velocity dispersion distribution in nuclear regions for mass limits

Burbidge, G. R.↗

NASA NTRS2011

The Astrophysics of Merging Black Holes

When two supermassive black holes (SMBHs) approach within 1-10 mpc, gravitational wave (GW) losses begin to dominate the evolution of the binary, pushing the system to merge in a relatively small time. During this final inspiral regime, the system will emit copious energy in GWs, which should be directly detectable by pulsar timing arrays and space-based interferometers. At the same time, any gas or stars in the immediate vicinity of the merging 5MBHs can get heated and produce bright electromagnetic (EM) counterparts to the GW signals. We present here a number of possible mechanisms by which simultaneous EM and GW signals will yield valuable new information about galaxy evolution, accretion disk dynamics, and fundamental physics in the most extreme gravitational fields.

Schnittman, Jeremy D.↗

NASA NTRS2021

Near future MeV telescopes can discover asteroid-mass primordial black hole dark matter

Primordial black holes (PBHs), formed out of large over densities in the early Universe, are a viable dark matter (DM) candidate over a broad range of masses. Ultralight, asteroid-mass PBHs with masses around1017g are particularly interesting as current observations allow them to constitute the entire DM density. PBHs in this mass range emit∼MeV photons via Hawking radiation which can directly be detected by the gamma ray telescopes, such as the upcoming AMEGO. In this work we forecast how well an instrument with the sensitivity of AMEGO will be able to detect, or rule out, PBHs as a DM candidate, by searching for their evaporating signature when marginalizing over the Galactic and extra-Galactic gamma-ray back-grounds. We find that an instrument with the sensitivity of AMEGO could exclude nonrotating PBHs as the only DM component for masses up to7×1017g at 95% confidence level for a monochromatic mass distribution, improving upon current bounds by nearly an order of magnitude. The forecasted constraints are more stringent for PBHs that have rotation, or which follow extended mass distributions

Anupam Ray↗

DOE OSTI2020

Classical double copy of nonsingular black holes

We apply the classical double copy procedure to a class of regular, non-singular black hole solutions. We give several examples, paying particular attention to a string-theory-corrected black hole solution emerging from T-duality. Non-perturbative stringy corrections introduce an ultraviolet (UV) zero-point length cutoff which results in non-singular black hole spacetimes. Apart from the UV regulator, the solution is equivalent to the Bardeen black hole spacetime. We extend this solution to include an asymptotic de Sitter background. All Yang-Mills field theory quantities associated with the double copy are well-behaved and finite for all values of parameters. Furthermore, we present a thorough analysis of the black hole horizon structure, additionally uncovering a simple yet new connection between horizons on the gravity side and electric fields on the gauge theory side of the double copy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2009

Massive Black Hole Mergers: Can we see what LISA will hear?

Coalescing massive black hole binaries are formed when galaxies merge. The final stages of this coalescence produce strong gravitational wave signals that can be detected by the space-borne LISA. When the black holes merge in the presence of gas and magnetic fields, various types of electromagnetic signals may also be produced. Modeling such electromagnetic counterparts requires evolving the behavior of both gas and fields in the strong-field regions around the black holes. We have taken a first step towards this problem by mapping the flow of pressureless matter in the dynamic, 3-D general relativistic spacetime around the merging black holes. We report on the results of these initial simulations and discuss their likely importance for future hydrodynamical simulations.

Centrella, Joan↗

NASA NTRS2000

Black Holes, Worm Holes, and Future Space Propulsion

NASA has begun examining the technologies needed for an Interstellar Mission. In 1998, a NASA Interstellar Mission Workshop was held at the California Institute of Technology to examine the technologies required. Since then, a spectrum of research efforts to support such a mission has been underway, including many advanced and futuristic space propulsion concepts which are being explored. The study of black holes and wormholes may provide some of the breakthrough physics needed to travel to the stars. The first black hole, CYGXI, was discovered in 1972 in the constellation Cygnus X-1. In 1993, a black hole was found in the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. In 1994, the black hole GRO J1655-40 was discovered by the NASA Marshall Space Flight center using the Gamma Ray Observatory. Today, we believe we have found evidence to support the existence of 19 black holes, but our universe may contain several thousands. This paper discusses the dead star states - - both stable and unstable, white dwarfs, neutron stars, pulsars, quasars, the basic features and types of black holes: nonspinning, nonspinning with charge, spinning, and Hawking's mini black holes. The search for black holes, gravitational waves, and Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) are reviewed. Finally, concepts of black hole powered space vehicles and wormhole concepts for rapid interstellar travel are discussed in relation to the NASA Interstellar Mission.

Barret, Chris↗

DOE OSTI2022

Black holes in Klein space

The analytic continuation of the general signature (1, 3) Lorentzian Kerr-Taub-NUT black holes to signature (2, 2) Kleinian black holes is studied. Their global structure is characterized by a toric Penrose diagram resembling their Lorentzian counterparts. Kleinian black holes are found to be self-dual when their mass and NUT charge are equal for any value of the Kerr rotation parameter a. Remarkably, it is shown that the rotation a can be eliminated by a large diffeomorphism; this result also holds in Euclidean signature. The continuation from Lorentzian to Kleinian signature is naturally induced by the analytic continuation of the S-matrix. Indeed, we show that the geometry of linearized black holes, including Kerr-Taub-NUT, is captured by (2, 2) three-point scattering amplitudes of a graviton and a massive spinning particle. This stands in sharp contrast to their Lorentzian counterparts for which the latter vanishes kinematically and enables a direct link to the S-matrix.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗