Decoherence of black holes by Hawking radiation.

Abstract

We discuss in detail the semiclassical approximation for the CGHS model of two-dimensional dilatonic black holes. This is achieved by a formal expansion of the full Wheeler-DeWitt equation and the momentum constraint in powers of the gravitational constant. In highest order, the classical CGHS solution is recovered. The next order yields a functional Schr\"odinger equation for quantum fields propagating on this background. We show explicitly how the Hawking radiation is recovered from this equation. Although described by a pure quantum state, the expectation value of the number operator exhibits a Planckian distribution with respect to the Hawking temperature. We then show how this Hawking radiation can lead to the decoherence of black hole superpositions. The cases of a superposition of a black hole with a white hole, as well as of a black hole with no hole, are treated explicitly. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.