A Partially Gauged Fixed Hamiltonian for Scalar Field Collapse

Abstract

We derive a partially gauge fixed Hamiltonian for black hole formation via real scalar field collapse. The class of models considered includes many theories of physical interest, including spherically symmetric black holes in $D$ spacetime dimensions. The boundary and gauge fixing conditions are chosen to be consistent with generalized Painleve-Gullstrand coordinates, in which the metric is regular across the black hole future horizon. The resulting Hamiltonian is remarkably simple and we argue that it provides a good starting point for studying the quantum dynamics of black hole formation.