Bogoliubov transformations in black-hole evaporation

Abstract

Our boundary-value approach to quantum processes in the gravitational collapse to a black hole leads to quantum amplitudes (not just probabilities) for transitions between data posed on initial and final hypersurfaces $\Sigma_{I,F}$, separated by a Lorentzian proper-time interval $T$, measured at spatial infinity. Following Feynman's $+i\epsilon$ approach, we rotate: $T\to {\mid}T{\mid} \exp(-i\theta)$, for $0<\theta\leq\pi/2$. The {\it classical} complexified boundary-value problem is expected to be well-posed for $0<\theta\leq\pi/2$, with classical action $S_{\rm class}$. For a locally supersymmetric Lagrangian, containing supergravity, possibly coupled to supermatter, the resulting quantum amplitude will be proportional to $\exp(iS_{\rm class})$, apart from possible loop corrections which are negligible for boundary data with frequencies below the Planck scale. The Lorentzian quantum amplitude is recovered by taking the limit as $\theta\to 0_+$ of this amplitude. In the present paper, a connection is made between this boundary value approach and the original approach to quantum evaporation in gravitational collapse to a black hole, {\it via} Bogoliubov coefficients. This connection is developed through consideration of the radial equation obeyed by the (adiabatic) non-spherical classical perturbations. When one studies the resulting final probability distribution, based on our quantum amplitudes above, one finds that this distribution can also be interpreted in terms of the Wigner quasi-probability distribution for harmonic oscillators.