Quantum Gravity of Dust Collapse: Shock Waves from Black Holes

We study the quantum gravitational collapse of spherically symmetric pressureless dust. Using an effective equation derived from a polymer quantization in the connection-triad phase space variables of general relativity, we find numerically, for a variety of initial dust configurations, that (i) trapped surfaces form and disappear as an initially collapsing density profile evolves into an outgoing shock wave; (ii) black hole lifetime is proportional to the square of its mass; and (iii) there is no mass inflation at inner apparent horizons. These results provide a substantially different view of black hole formation and subsequent evolution than found from semiclassical analyses.

Automated summary

This study investigates the quantum gravitational collapse of spherically symmetric pressureless dust and finds that trapped surfaces form and disappear as the collapsing density profile evolves into an outgoing shock wave, black hole lifetime is proportional to the square of its mass, and there is no mass inflation at inner apparent horizons. These results offer a significantly different perspective on black hole formation and subsequent evolution compared to semiclassical analyses.