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Quantum hair and quantum gravity

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Abstract

A black hole may carry quantum numbers that arenot associated with massless gauge fields, contrary to the spirit of the “no-hair” theorems. The “quantum hair” is invisible in the classical limit, but measurable via quantum interference experiments. Quantum hair alters the temperature of the radiation emitted by a black hole. It also induces non-zero expectation values for fields outside the event horizon; these expectation values are non-perturbative in ℏ, and decay exponentially far from the hole. The existence of quantum hair demonstrates that a black hole can have an intricate quantum-mechanical structure that is completely missed by standard semiclassical theory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lyman Laboratory of Physics, Harvard University, 02138, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Sidney Coleman

  2. Center for Theoretical Physics and Department of Astronomy, Yale University, 06511, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Lawrence M. Krauss

  3. Lauritsen Laboratory of High Energy Physics, California Institute of Technology, 91125, Pasadena, California, USA

    John Preskill

  4. School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Olden Lane, 08540, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

    Frank Wilczek

Authors
  1. Sidney Coleman
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  2. Lawrence M. Krauss
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  3. John Preskill
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  4. Frank Wilczek
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Based on an essay which received second award from the Gravity Research Foundation, 1991

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Coleman, S., Krauss, L.M., Preskill, J. et al. Quantum hair and quantum gravity. Gen Relat Gravit 24, 9–16 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00756870

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