Pair creation rate for $U(1)^2$ black holes

Abstract

I consider a truncation of low-energy string theory which contains two $U(1)$ gauge fields. After making some general comments on the theory, I describe a previously-obtained instanton for the pair creation of black holes when both gauge fields are non-zero, and obtain the pair creation rate by calculating its action. This calculation agrees qualitatively with the earlier calculation of the pair creation rate for black holes in Einstein-Maxwell theory. That is, the pair creation is strongly suppressed in realizable circumstances, and it reduces to the Schwinger result in the point-particle limit. The pair creation of non-extreme black holes is enhanced over that of extreme black holes by $e^{{\cal A}_{bh}/4}$.