Gravitational collapse with quantum fields

Abstract

Gravitational collapse into a black hole has been extensively studied with classical sources. We develop a new formalism to simulate quantum fields forming a black hole. This formalism utilizes well-established techniques used for classical collapse by choosing a convenient coherent state, and simulates the matter fields quantum mechanically. Divergences are regularized with the cosmological constant and Pauli-Villars fields. Using a massless spherically symmetric scalar field as an example, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the formalism by reproducing some classical results in gravitational collapse, and identifying the difference due to quantum effects.

Topics & Concepts