Limits on New Physics from Black Holes

Abstract

Black holes emit high energy particles which induce a finite density potential for any scalar field $\varphi$ coupling to the emitted quanta. Due to energetic considerations, $\varphi$ evolves locally to minimize the effective masses of the outgoing states. In theories where $\varphi$ resides at a metastable minimum, this effect can drive $\varphi$ over its potential barrier and classically catalyze the decay of the vacuum. Because this is not a tunneling process, the decay rate is not exponentially suppressed and a single black hole in our past light cone may be sufficient to activate the decay. Moreover, decaying black holes radiate at ever higher temperatures, so they eventually probe the full spectrum of particles coupling to $\varphi$. We present a detailed analysis of vacuum decay catalyzed by a single particle, as well as by a black hole. The former is possible provided large couplings or a weak potential barrier. In contrast, the latter occurs much more easily and places new stringent limits on theories with hierarchical spectra. Finally, we comment on how these constraints apply to the standard model and its extensions, e.g. metastable supersymmetry breaking.

24 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor revisions for publication

References in corpus (8)

• Observation of a new particle in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC
• Observation of a new boson at a mass of 125 GeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC
• The Probable Fate of the Standard Model
• Notes on SUSY and R-Symmetry Breaking in Wess-Zumino Models
• Do Evaporating Black Holes Form Photospheres?
• Some properties of meta-stable supersymmetry-breaking vacua in Wess-Zumino models
• Natural Islands for a 125 GeV Higgs in the scale-invariant NMSSM
• Attractor Explosions and Catalyzed Vacuum Decay

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Vacuum metastability with black holes
• False Vacuum Decay Catalyzed by Black Holes
• Electroweak Vacuum Collapse induced by Vacuum Fluctuations of the Higgs Field around Evaporating Black Holes
• Black holes don't source fast Higgs vacuum decay
• Signatures of microscopic black holes and extra dimensions at future neutrino telescopes
• Electroweak Vacuum Instability and Renormalized Vacuum Field Fluctuations in Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker Background
• Toward quantum tunneling from excited states: Recovering imaginary-time instantons from a real-time analysis
• Bubble nucleation around heterogeneities in ${\varphi }^4$-field theories