Hiscock Dr. Hiscock's research group will continue their work on semiclassical effects on black hole geometries, with particular emphasis on whether zero-temperature black hole "remnants" (representing possible endpoints of black hole evaporation) are possible within semiclassical gravity, and on semiclassical effects on the causal structure of black hole interiors.
While it is widely accepted that semiclassical gravity is at best an approximation to some as yet ill-defined full theory of quantum gravity, it is nevertheless the best present tool available for the study of quantum effects in strong gravitational fields, such as around black holes and near the Big Bang. The present work will extend our knowledge of semiclassical effects in these regimes, and act as checks for calculations in proposed fundamental theories of quantum gravity. ***
