Developments in Black Hole Research: Classical, Semi-classical, and Quantum

Abstract

The possible existence of black holes has fascinated scientists at least since Michell and Laplace's proposal that a gravitating object could exist from which light could not escape. In the 20th century, in light of the general theory of relativity, it became apparent that, were such objects to exist, their structure would be far richer than originally imagined. Today, astronomical observations strongly suggest that either black holes, or objects with similar properties, not only exist but may well be abundant in our universe. In light of this, black hole research is now not only motivated by the fascinating theoretical properties such objects must possess but also as an attempt to better understand the universe around us. We review here some selected developments in black hole research, from a review of its early history to current topics in black hole physics research. Black holes have been studied at all levels; classically, semi-classically, and more recently, as an arena to test predictions of candidate theories of quantum gravity. We will review here progress and current research at all these levels as well as discuss some proposed alternatives to black holes.

59 pages, 17 figures (some are quality reduced due to file size restrictions). Version 2 has extra references and minor changes to match version for publication. Invited chapter to appear in an edited collection 'Classical and Quantum Gravity Research', Nova Science Publishers

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Cited by in corpus (8)

• Noncommutative Black Holes, The Final Appeal To Quantum Gravity: A Review
• Thin-shell wormholes in d-dimensional general relativity: Solutions, properties, and stability
• Regular black holes from semi-classical down to Planckian size
• Un-graviton corrections to the Schwarzschild black hole
• Geometric model of black hole quantum $N$-portrait, extradimensions and thermodynamics
• Vector unparticle enhanced black holes: exact solutions and thermodynamics
• A cyclic universe with colour fields
• Generalized uncertainty principle and extra dimensions