Echoes from quantum black holes

Abstract

One of the most triumphant predictions of the theory of general relativity was the recent LIGO-Virgo detection of gravitational-wave (GW) signals produced in binary black hole (BH) mergers. However, it is suggested that exotic compact objects, proposed in quantum gravity models of BHs, may produce similar classical GW waveforms, followed by delayed repeating ``echoes.'' In a companion paper [1], we have presented different arguments for a universal Boltzmann reflectivity of quantum BH horizons. Here, we investigate the resulting echoes from this prescription. We derive corresponding quasinormal modes (QNMs) for quantum BHs analytically, and show how their initial conditions can be related to the QNMs of classical BHs. Ergoregion instability is suppressed by the imperfect reflectivity. We then compare the analytic and numerical predictions for echoes in real time, verifying their consistency. In particular, we find that the amplitudes of the first $\ensuremath{\sim}20$ echoes decay inversely with time, while the subsequent echoes decay exponentially. Finally, we present predictions for the signal-to-noise ratio of echoes for spinning BHs, which should be imminently detectable for massive remnants, subject to the uncertainty in the nonlinear initial conditions of the BH merger.