International Journal of Modern Physics D

In this paper, I discuss the impact of the positive cosmological constant on the interplay between the equivalence principle in general relativity, and the rules of quantum mechanics. At the nonrelativistic level, there is an ambiguity in the definition of a phase of a wave function measured by inertial and accelerating observes. This is the cosmological analogue of the Penrose effect, which can also be seen as a nonrelativistic limit of the Unruh effect. The symmetries of the associated Schrödinger equation are generated by the Newton–Hooke algebra, which arises from a nonrelativistic limit of a cosmological twistor space.

The experimental successes of quantum-field theory do not justify using it to describe even a finite fraction of the entanglement entropy of a causal diamond with its exterior, in the limit of large diamonds. Susskind and Uglum and Jacobson conjectured that this divergent entropy could be thought of as a renormalization of Newton’s constant in the Bekenstein–Hawking formula, if we applied that formula to arbitrary causal diamonds. Jacobson showed that this leads to a derivation of the null projection of Einstein’s equations as the hydrodynamic equations of the area law for arbitrary diamonds, a derivation which has the added virtue of demonstrating that the cosmological constant is not an energy density. Using a gauge choice adapted to causal diamond boundaries, we revisit arguments of Carlip and Solodukhin that the proper theory of near horizon states is a (cut-off) (1 + 1)-dimensional conformal field theory, with central charge proportional to the transverse area. This leads to a universal formula for fluctuations of the modular Hamiltonian of a diamond, which we argue is compatible with the explanation of the temperature of de Sitter space in terms of an identification between localized energy and the number of constrained q-bits of the holographic degrees of freedom.

The thermodynamic properties of black holes — temperature, entropy and radiation rates — are usually associated with the presence of a horizon. We argue that any extremely compact object (ECO) must have the same thermodynamic properties. Quantum fields just outside the surface of an ECO have a large negative Casimir energy similar to the Boulware vacuum of black holes. If the thermal radiation emanating from the ECO does not fill the near-surface region at the local Unruh temperature, then we find that no solution of gravity equations is possible. In string theory, black holes microstates are horizonless quantum objects called fuzzballs that are expected to have a surface $\sim l_p$ outside $r=2GM$; thus the information puzzle is resolved while preserving the semiclassical thermodynamics of black holes.

In this essay, it is proved that there are black holes that are dangerously cold. In particular, by analyzing the emission spectra of highly charged black holes we reveal the fact that near-extremal black holes whose Bekenstein–Hawking temperatures lie in the regime $T_{\text{BH}}\lesssim m_e^6/e^3$ may turn into horizonless naked singularities, thus violating the cosmic censorship principle, if they emit a photon with the characteristic thermal energy $\omega =O(T_{\text{BH}})$ (here $\{m_e,e\}$ are, respectively, the proper mass and the electric charge of the electron, the lightest charged particle). We therefore raise here the conjecture that, in the yet unknown quantum theory of gravity, the temperatures of well-behaved black-hole spacetimes are fundamentally bounded from below by the relation $T_{\text{BH}}\gtrsim m_e^6/e^3$.

Neutron stars are one of the most mysterious wonders in the universe. Their extreme densities hint at new and exotic physics at work within. Gravitational waves could be the key to unlocking their secrets. In particular, a first detection of gravitational waves from rapidly-spinning, deformed neutron stars could yield new insights into the physics of matter at extreme densities and under strong gravity. Once a first detection is made, a critical challenge will be to robustly extract physically interesting information from the detected signals. In this essay, we describe initial research towards answering this challenge, and thereby unleashing the full power of gravitational waves as an engine for the discovery of new physics.

In general relativity, the allowed set of diffeomorphisms or gauge transformations at asymptotic infinity forms the BMS group, an infinite-dimensional extension of the Poincaré group. We focus on the structure of the BMS group in two distinct forms of Hamiltonian dynamics — the instant and front forms. Both similarities and differences in these two forms are examined while emphasizing the role of noncovariant approaches to symmetries in gravity.

Hawking showed that a black hole formed by collapse will emit radiation and eventually disappear. We address the challenge to define an objective notion of physical entropy which increases throughout this process in a way consistent with unitarity. We have suggested that (instead of coarse-grained entropy) physical entropy is matter–gravity entanglement entropy and that this may offer an explanation of entropy increase both for the black hole collapse and evaporation system and also for other closed unitarily evolving systems. For this to work, the matter–gravity entanglement entropy of the late-time state of black hole evaporation would have to be larger than the entropy of the freshly formed black hole. We argue that this may possibly be the case due to (usually neglected) photon–graviton interactions.

Dynamical chaos is a fundamental manifestation of gravity in astrophysical, many-body systems. The spectrum of Lyapunov exponents quantifies the associated exponential response to small perturbations. Analytical derivations of these exponents are critical for understanding the stability and predictability of observed systems. This paper presents a new model for chaos in systems with eccentric and crossing orbits. Here, exponential divergence is not a continuous process but rather the cumulative effect of an ever-increasing linear response driven by discrete events at regular intervals, i.e. punctuated chaos. We show that long-lived systems with punctuated chaos can magnify Planck length perturbations to astronomical scales within their lifetime, rendering them fundamentally indeterministic.

In this essay, we present a new understanding of the cosmological constant problem, built upon the realization that the vacuum energy density can be expressed in terms of a phase space volume. We introduce a UV-IR regularization which implies a relationship between the vacuum energy and entropy. Combining this insight with the holographic bound on entropy then yields a bound on the cosmological constant consistent with observations. It follows that the universe is large, and the cosmological constant is naturally small, because the universe is filled with a large number of degrees of freedom.

The waveform of a binary black hole coalescence appears to be both simple and universal. In this essay we argue that the dynamics should admit a separation into “fast and slow” degrees of freedom, such that the latter are described by an integrable system of equations, accounting for the simplicity and universality of the waveform. Given that Painlevé transcendents are a smoking gun of integrable structures, we propose the Painlevé-II transcendent as the key structural element threading a hierarchy of asymptotic models aiming at capturing different (effective) layers in the dynamics. Ward’s conjecture relating integrable and (anti-)self-dual solutions can provide the avenue to encode background binary black hole data in (nonlocal) twistor structures.

We show that the repulsive effects associated to the zero-point energies of quantum fields are capable of supporting ultracompact stars that overcome the compactness limits present in general relativity for any object in hydrostatic equilibrium. These objects are exact self-consistent solutions in semiclassical gravity that incorporate the backreaction of the renormalized stress-energy tensor (RSET) of quantum fields in vacuum. We arrive at stars of striking qualitative agreement through two independent modelings of the RSET, evidencing the generality and robustness of this result. The main physical properties of these novel black hole mimickers are reviewed.

Circa 1962 Hans A. Buchdahl pioneered a program — and made significant progress — seeking vacuo configurations in pure ${{ℛ}}^2$ gravity (H. A. Buchdahl, Nuovo Cimento 23 (1962) 141). Unfortunately, he deemed the final step in his calculations impassable and prematurely suspended his pursuit. Since then, his achievements on this front have faded into dormancy. Unbeknownst to Buchdahl himself, the ${{ℛ}}^2$ vacua that he sought were within his striking distance. In our recent three-paper body of work published in Nguyen (Phys. Rev. D 106 (2022) 104004; Phys. Rev. D 107 (2023) 104008; Phys. Rev. D 107 (2023) 104009), we broke this six-decades-old impasse and accomplished his goal: A novel class of metrics, describing non-Schwarzschild spacetimes in quadratic gravity and carrying a hallmark of higher-derivative characteristic. Intriguing properties of Buchdahl-inspired spacetimes and their associated Morris–Thorne–Buchdahl wormholes — summarized herein — embody a new branch of phenomenology that transcends the Einstein–Hilbert paradigm.

May this unsung legacy of Hans A. Buchdahl

long “forsaken” and “forgotten”

finally live on

Our essay is a passageway bridging the past and the future. The past is rooted in a research program originated but left unfinished by Buchdahl going back threescore years ago. The future is the new horizons his program brings forth. In between is our labor — summarized in a three-installment “Beyond Schwarzschild–de Sitter spacetimes” series^[1–3] — to advance the Buchdahl program and achieve his ultimate goal.

Nonlinear Sigma Models in two dimensions (${\text{NLSM}}_2$) describe the quantum-field theory (QFT) of the Embedding map from a two-dimensional surface to a higher dimensional target space. We assume that before the big bang the universe was an abstract space with a two-dimensional surface embedded in it. We study QFT of the Embedding map in the universe that is ${\text{NLSM}}_2$. We consider the abstract target space which is a Lie Group; SU(3) manifold. Then taking a symmetry breaking potential in ${\text{NLSM}}_2$ QFT, we show the emergence of a geometric arrow of time via a big bang. This leads to an inflationary scenario driven by the Embedding map. We also discuss the mathematical existence of a ${\text{NLSM}}_2$ and some aspects of the renormalization group flow in ${\text{NLSM}}_2$ relevant to inflation.

Nonlocal gravity (NLG), a classical extension of Einstein’s theory of gravitation, has been studied mainly in linearized form. In particular, nonlinearities have thus far prevented the treatment of cosmological models in NLG. In this essay, we discuss the local limit of NLG and apply this limit to the expanding homogenous and isotropic universe. The theory only allows spatially flat cosmological models; furthermore, de Sitter spacetime is forbidden. The components of the model will have different dynamics with respect to cosmic time as compared to the standard $\mathrm{\Lambda }$CDM model; specifically, instead of the cosmological constant, the modified flat model of cosmology involves a dynamic dark energy component in order to account for the accelerated phase of the expansion of the universe.

There is growing evidence for high-frequency gravitational waves (HFGWs) ranging from MHz to GHz. Several HFGW detectors have been operating for over a decade, and two GHz events have been reported recently. However, a confirmed detection might take a decade. This essay argues that unexplained observed astrophysical phenomena, like Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), might provide indirect evidence for HFGWs. In particular, using the Gertsenshtein–Zel’dovich effect, we show that our model can explain three key features of FRBs: generate peak-flux up to $1000\mathrm{\text{Jy}}$, naturally explain the pulse width and the coherent nature of FRBs. In short, our model offers a novel perspective on the indirection detection of HFGWs beyond current detection capabilities. Thus, transient events like FRBs are a rich source for multi-messenger astronomy.

The entropy of a Schwarzschild black hole, as computed via the semiclassical Euclidean path integral in a stationary phase approximation, is determined not by the on-shell value of the action (which vanishes), but by the Gibbons–Hawking–York boundary term evaluated on a suitable hypersurface, which can be chosen arbitrarily far away from the horizon. For this reason, the black hole singularity seemingly has no influence on the Bekenstein–Hawking area law. In this paper, we estimate how a regular black hole core, deep inside a Euclidean black hole of mass $M$ and generated via a UV regulator length scale $\ell >0$, affects the black hole entropy. The contributions are suppressed by factors of $\ell /(2GM)$; demanding exact agreement with the area law as well as a self-consistent first law of black hole thermodynamics at all orders, however, demands that these contributions vanish identically via uniformly bounded curvature. This links the limiting curvature hypothesis to black hole thermodynamics.

Black holes play a pivotal role in the foundations of physics, but there is an alarming discrepancy between what is considered to be a black hole in observational astronomy and theoretical studies. Despite claims to the contrary, we argue that identifying the observed astrophysical black hole candidates as genuine black holes is not justified based on the currently available observational data, and elaborate on the necessary evidence required to support such a remarkable claim. In addition, we investigate whether the predictions of semiclassical gravity are equally compatible with competing theoretical models, and find that semiclassical arguments favor horizonless configurations.

Galaxy Clusters are huge physical systems having a generic size of tens of millions of light years. Thus any modification at the center of the cluster will affect the outskirts only tens of millions of years afterwards. Those retardation considerations seem to be neglected in present day analysis used to estimate the total mass of the galaxy cluster, including those estimates which are based on the virial theorem. The significant differences between the velocities predicted by Newtonian action at a distance theory and observations are usually dealt with by either assuming an unobservable type of matter or by modifying gravity. Here we demonstrate that considering general relativistic effects one can explain the apparent excess matter appearing in galaxy clusters virial estimates.

During the ringdown phase of a gravitational signal emitted by a black hole, the least damped quasinormal frequency dominates. If modifications to Einstein’s theory induce noticeable deformations of the black-hole geometry only near the event horizon, the fundamental mode remains largely unaffected. However, even a small change near the event horizon can significantly impact the first few overtones, providing a means to probe the geometry of the event horizon. Overtones are stable against small deformations of spacetime at a distance from the black hole, allowing the event horizon to be distinguished from the surrounding environment. In contrast to echoes, overtones make a much larger energy contribution. These findings open up new avenues for future observations.

The quantum superposition principle states that quantum-mechanical systems such as atoms can be placed in a superposition of mass-energy eigenstates. Inspired by this idea and the seminal conjecture of Bekenstein, who proposed that black holes in quantum gravity must possess a discrete mass eigenspectrum, here we analyze the effects produced by a black hole in a superposition of masses. Analogous to using the electromagnetic field to probe atoms, we consider a quantum scalar field on the spacetime background sourced by the black hole mass superposition. From the resulting spectra, as measured by a hypothetical two-level system interacting with the field, we infer signatures of discretization of the black hole mass in support of Bekenstein’s conjecture.

We performed a series of 1381 full numerical simulations of high energy collision of two black holes to search for the maximum recoil velocity after their merger. We studied equal mass binaries with opposite spins pointing along the orbital plane to maximize asymmetric gravitational radiation and performed a search of spin orientations in the plane, impact parameters, and initial linear momenta to find a maximum recoil velocity extrapolated to the extreme spinning case of $28,562\pm 342$km/s, thus tightly bounding recoil by $10\%$ the speed of light.

Vacuum models of charged or spinning black holes possess two horizons, the inner of which has the oft-overlooked property that gravitational tidal forces initially spaghettifying a freely falling observer will eventually change signs and flatten the observer like a pancake. Inner horizons also may induce a classical blueshift instability known as mass inflation, and a number of recent studies have found that inner horizons exhibit even stronger quantum singular behavior. In this essay, we explore the quantum effect of Hawking radiation, which in the presence of compressive tidal forces seems to predict negative temperatures. By analyzing the interaction of quantum fields with black hole geometries, we can come to a closer semiclassical understanding of what really happens near a black hole’s inner horizon.

The thermodynamics of local causal horizons has been shown to imply gravitational dynamics. In this essay, we discuss the principles underlying this observation, and its significance in our understanding of (quantum) gravity. We also show why the local thermodynamic methods cannot by themselves recover general relativity. Instead, they lead to the so-called Weyl transverse gravity. Because of this, local thermodynamic approaches avoid huge vacuum energy contributions to the cosmological constant. They even suggest a possible source for its small observed value. We also outline a way in which thermodynamics allows us to study low energy quantum gravitational effects. We arrive at quantum corrections to the gravitational equations which are suppressed by the Planck length squared.

Using results of statistical field theory for systems with an anisotropic disorder, we present an analog model for Euclidean wormholes and topological fluctuation effects in a Riemannian space ${{ℳ}}^{\mathrm{\text{d}}}$. The contribution of wormholes and topological fluctuations to the Euclidean gravitational functional integral is modeled by quenched randomness defined in the ${ℝ}^{\mathrm{\text{d}}}$ manifold. We obtain a disorder-averaged free energy by taking the average over all the realizations of the random fields. In the scenario of topology fluctuation, there appears a superposition of infinite branes that contribute to the physical quantities. All topology fluctuations can be understood as two distinct kinds of Euclidean wormholes: wormholes confined to one brane, and wormholes connecting different branes.

It is now widely believed that if the gravitational field is (perturbatively) quantum, it would entangle two massive objects (in spatial superpositions) which were otherwise unentangled to begin with. Recently, actual table-top experiments have been proposed to test this idea in what would be the first detection of perturbative quantum gravity. In this essay, we devise a thought experiment to prove that such gravity-induced entanglement depends on the spacetime curvature and can, in principle, act as an alternate signature of the expanding background. This will open up new and complementary directions to search for such entanglement in curved spacetime and reveal fresh perspectives on it.

A generic implication of incorporating gravitational effects in the analysis of quantum measurements is the existence of a zero-point length of spacetime. This requires an inherently non-local description of spacetime, beyond the usual one based on metric $g_{ab}(x),$ etc. The quantum spacetime should instead be reconstructed from non-local bi-tensors of the form ${\mathcal{𝒢}}_{ab\dots i^{\prime }{j}^{\prime }\dots }(x,x^{\prime })$. A deeper look then reveals a subtle interplay between non-locality and the limit $G\hslash /c^3\to 0$. In particular, the so-called emergent gravity paradigm — in which gravitational dynamics/action/spacetime are emergent and characterized by an entropy functional — arises as the Cheshire grin of a fundamentally non-local quantum spacetime. This paper describes the flow of metric with respect to Planck length, and proposes a novel action for the same.

Measurements of the validity of General Relativity, as well as its effects in quantum mechanics, are becoming increasingly accessible to tabletop experiments. In this paper, we will introduce atomic clocks and explain the pathway to observing state-of-the-art gravitational redshift using atomic clocks, with the help of existing experimental examples. We will conclude with possible future directions.

We trace the origins and development of black hole thermodynamics across the past half-century, emphasizing the framework’s relation to classical thermodynamics, and the vital role played by the notions of equilibrium, stationarity and symmetry. We discuss different interpretations of the first law of black hole mechanics, and assess the validity of its mechanical, process-based interpretation for evaporating black holes. We bring these ideas to the cosmological realm, and highlight the various difficulties that arise when formulating thermodynamics for black holes in asymptotically de Sitter backgrounds. We discuss a number of proposed solutions and the open questions that arise therein.

Although it’s widely believed that gravity should have a quantum nature like every other force, the conceptual obstacles to constructing a quantum theory of gravity compel us to explore other perspectives. Gravity is not like any other force. It alone defines a universal spacetime geometry upon which quantum fields evolve. We feel gravity because matter causes spacetime to bend. Time flows at unequal rates at different locations. The rate at which time flows, and the causal structure it provides, may be required to have a classical description in order for quantum theory to be well-formulated. I discuss arguments for this proposition, but ultimately conclude that we must turn to experiment to guide us.