Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: A bstract We study black hole formation and evaporation in a four-dimensional semiclassical model that preserves diffeomorphism invariance and reproduces the one-loop trace anomaly. Solving the quantum-corrected Einstein equations for the collapse of a spherically symmetric null shell, we follow the formation and evaporation of a black hole with back-reaction included. The semiclassical solutions develop a spacelike “thunderbolt” singularity that emerges after the apparent horizon has receded and extends far from the black hole where the semiclassical curvature is a priori expected to be parametrically small. This behavior arises from a nonlinear instability of the higher-derivative semiclassical equations and is generic in models with anomaly-induced quantum corrections. The thunderbolt signals a breakdown of semiclassical effective field theory over macroscopic distances and undermines the standard formulation of the black hole information paradox.
Source: Journal of High Energy Physics
Authors: David A. Lowe, Larus Thorlacius
Institutions: Brown University, University of Iceland
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7170648599