Charged Black Hole Hawking Radiation: Answers to Questions

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the complexities of charged black holes and their Hawking radiation, particularly in the context of geometric units where G=c=ℏ=1. Participants explore whether a charged black hole retains its charge when isolated and the implications of emitting particles. The consensus indicates that classical General Relativity combined with Maxwell's Equations suggests charge remains constant, while quantum gravity models are still under investigation. Additionally, the conversation touches on the conservation of lepton and baryon numbers in relation to Hawking radiation, asserting that current understanding indicates potential violations of these conservation laws.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of General Relativity (GR) and Maxwell's Equations
  • Familiarity with Hawking radiation and its implications
  • Knowledge of quantum gravity theories
  • Proficiency in geometric unit systems, specifically G=c=ℏ=1
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of Hawking radiation on baryon and lepton number conservation
  • Study the mathematical models of charged black holes in quantum gravity
  • Explore the conversion factors between conventional charge units and geometric charge units
  • Investigate the latest papers on charged particle emission from black holes
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, astrophysicists, and researchers interested in black hole thermodynamics, quantum gravity, and the fundamental laws of particle physics.

SlowThinker
Messages
475
Reaction score
65
I was thinking about the title but after searching Arxiv, PF and the internet in general, my confusion has only increased. I have a few questions:
1. Often I see units where ##G=c=\hbar=1##, but what is the charge of an electron in these units? Everyone says M=Q as if it was somehow obvious how much charge corresponds to 1 kg.
2. Does a charged black hole, far away from other matter, keep its charge, or does it get rid of the charge by emitting more electrons than positrons (or the reverse)?
I don't quite understand https://arxiv.org/abs/1503.04944v2 but it seems to say that the charge is constant:
bottom of page 7 said:
Namely, the field equations require that Φ is a real field and the electric charge Q is constant.
but the last page of https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0602146 clearly has equations for outgoing current flow. Again, the actual math is well outside my knowledge.
3. If I throw matter into a black hole, and gather the outgoing radiation, and convert it into matter, have I just violated the conservation of lepton number and baryon number?

While I am at it,
4. If I surround a black hole with a charged (metal) sphere, will its Hawking radiation be the same as without the sphere, namely, will it emit charged particles? (If needed for the answer, the excess opposite charge is stored in a space station orbiting the sphere.)
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Dale
Physics news on Phys.org
SlowThinker said:
what is the charge of an electron in these units?

See the table here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometrized_unit_system#Geometrical_quantities

It gives the conversion factor from conventional charge units (SI) to geometric charge units (length).

SlowThinker said:
Does a charged black hole, far away from other matter, keep its charge, or does it get rid of the charge by emitting more electrons than positrons (or the reverse)?

It depends on what model you're using. If you're using classical GR + classical Maxwell's Equations, the charge of the hole is a constant. If you want to try to model the possibility of the hole emitting charged particles, you would have to use quantum gravity; the papers you link to appear to be trying to construct such models. This is an open area of research so I don't think we have any firm answers at this point as to what actually happens.

SlowThinker said:
If I throw matter into a black hole, and gather the outgoing radiation, and convert it into matter, have I just violated the conservation of lepton number and baryon number?

I assume you're referring to Hawking radiation? Yes, as far as we know the process of forming a black hole and then letting it evaporate by Hawking radiation violates baryon and lepton number conservation. But we don't really know the correct theory for this process, so we can't be sure.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: SlowThinker

Similar threads

  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 73 ·
3
Replies
73
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K