Reparameterization dependence is useful for holographic complexity

Holographic complexity in the “complexity equals action” approach is reconsidered relaxing the requirement of reparameterization invariance of the action with the prescription that the action vanish in any static, vacuum causal diamond. This implies that vacuum anti-de Sitter space plays the role of the reference state. Moreover, the complexity of an anti-de Sitter-Schwarzschild black hole becomes intrinsically finite and saturates Lloyd’s bound after a critical time. It is also argued that several artifacts, such as the unphysical negative-time interval, can be removed by truly considering the bulk dual of the thermofield double state.

Static Spherically Symmetric Black Holes in Weak f(T)-Gravity

With the advent of gravitational wave astronomy and first pictures of the “shadow” of the central black hole of our milky way, theoretical analyses of black holes (and compact objects mimicking them sufficiently closely) have become more important than ever. The near future promises more and more detailed information about the observable black holes and black hole candidates. This information could lead to important advances on constraints on or evidence for modifications of general relativity. More precisely, we are studying the influence of weak teleparallel perturbations on general relativistic vacuum spacetime geometries in spherical symmetry. We find the most general family of spherically symmetric, static vacuum solutions of the theory, which are candidates for describing teleparallel black holes which emerge as perturbations to the Schwarzschild black hole. We compare our findings to results on black hole or static, spherically symmetric solutions in teleparallel gravity discussed in the literature, by comparing the predictions for classical observables such as the photon sphere, the perihelion shift, the light deflection, and the Shapiro delay. On the basis of these observables, we demonstrate that among the solutions we found, there exist spacetime geometries that lead to much weaker bounds on teleparallel gravity than those found earlier. Finally, we move on to a discussion of how the teleparallel perturbations influence the Hawking evaporation in these spacetimes.

5-dimensional space-periodic solutions of the static vacuum Einstein equations

An affirmative answer is given to a conjecture of Myers concerning the existence of 5-dimensional regular static vacuum solutions that balance an infinite number of black holes, which have Kasner asymptotics. A variety of examples are constructed, having different combinations of ring S1 × S2 and sphere S3 cross-sectional horizon topologies. Furthermore, we show the existence of 5-dimensional vacuum solitons with Kasner asymptotics. These are regular static space-periodic vacuum spacetimes devoid of black holes. Consequently, we also obtain new examples of complete Riemannian manifolds of nonnegative Ricci curvature in dimension 4, and zero Ricci curvature in dimension 5, having arbitrarily large as well as infinite second Betti number.

Further selected solutions

In previous chapters we presented the key notions associated with stationary black-hole spacetimes, as well as the minimal set of metrics needed to illustrate the basic features of the world of black holes. In this chapter we present some further black holes, selected because of their physical and mathematical interest. We start, in Section 5.1, with the Kerr–de Sitter/anti-de Sitter metrics, the cosmological counterparts of the Kerr metrics. Section 5.2 contains a description of the Kerr–Newman–de Sitter/anti-de Sitter metrics, which are the charged relatives of the metrics presented in Section 5.1. In Section 5.3 we analyse in detail the global structure of the Emparan–Reall ‘black rings’: these are five-dimensional black-hole spacetimes with R × S 1 × S 2-horizon topology. The Rasheed metrics of Section 5.4 provide an example of black holes arising in Kaluza–Klein theories. The Birmingham family of metrics, presented in Section 5.5, forms the most general class known of explicit static vacuum metrics with cosmological constant in all dimensions, with a wide range of horizon topologies.

On the Analyticity of Static Solutions of a Field Equation in Finsler Gravity

It is well-known that static vacuum solutions of Einstein equations are analytic in suitable coordinates. We ask here for an extension of this result in the context of Finsler gravity. We consider Finsler spacetimes that retain several properties of static Lorentzian spacetimes, are Berwald and have vanishing Ricci scalar.

Opacities for photon splitting and pair creation in neutron star magnetospheres

ABSTRACT Over the last four decades, persistent and flaring emission of magnetars observed by various telescopes has provided us with a suite of light curves and spectra in soft and hard X-rays, with no emission yet detected above around 1 MeV. Attenuation of such high-energy photons by magnetic pair creation and photon splitting is expected to be active in the magnetospheres of magnetars, possibly accounting for the paucity of gamma-rays in their signals. This paper explores polarization-dependent opacities for these two QED processes in static vacuum dipole magnetospheres of highly magnetized neutron stars, calculating attenuation lengths and determining escape energies, which are the maximum photon energies for transparency out to infinity. The numerical trajectory integral analysis in flat and curved space–times provides upper bounds of a few MeV or less to the visible energies for magnetars for locales proximate to the stellar surface. Photon splitting opacity alone puts constraints on the possible emission locales in their magnetospheres: regions within field loops of maximum altitudes $\, r_{{\rm max}}\sim 2\!-\!4\,$ stellar radii are not commensurate with maximum detected energies of around 250 keV. These constraints apply not only to magnetar flares but also to their quiescent hard X-ray tail emission. An exploration of photon splitting attenuation in the context of a resonant inverse Compton scattering model for the hard X-ray tails derives distinctive phase-resolved spectroscopic and polarimetric signatures, of significant interest for future MeV-band missions such as AMEGO and e-ASTROGAM.