The Quantum Black Hole Specific Heat is Positive

Abstract

We suggest in this Letter that the Bekenstein-Hawking black hole entropy accounts for the degrees of freedom which are excited at low temperatures only and hence it leads to the negative specific heat. Taking into account the physical degrees of freedom which are excited at high temperatures, the existence of which we postulate, we compute the total specific heat of the quantum black hole that appears to be positive. This is done in analogy to the Planck's treatment of the black body radiation problem. Other thermodynamic functions are computed as well. Our results and the success of the thermodynamic description of the quantum black hole suggest an underlying atomic (discrete) structure of gravitation. The basic properties of these gravitational atoms are found.