Black hole and brane production in TeV gravity: A review

TL;DR

This review synthesizes the theoretical framework and phenomenology of black hole and brane production in TeV-scale gravity with large extra dimensions, spanning string/M-theory compactifications and warped geometries. It analyzes semiclassical BH and brane production cross sections, decay channels, and potential collider and ultra-high-energy cosmic ray signatures, while cataloging current collider and astrophysical constraints. The work highlights scenarios where brane production can compete with or dominate BH formation, such as asymmetric compactifications, fat branes, and warped models, and discusses cosmological implications of brane relics and early-universe brane gas. Despite substantial progress, the authors emphasize theoretical uncertainties in brane dynamics and call for deeper studies of brane formation, decay, and distinctive experimental signatures to distinguish BHs from branes at high energies.

Abstract

In models with large extra dimensions particle collisions with center-of-mass energy larger than the fundamental gravitational scale can generate non-perturbative gravitational objects such as black holes and branes. The formation and the subsequent decay of these super-Planckian objects would be detectable in particle colliders and high energy cosmic ray detectors, and have interesting implications in cosmology and astrophysics. In this paper we present a review of black hole and brane production in TeV-scale gravity.

Figures (12)

• Figure 1: A schematic illustration of the braneworld model. SM fields are confined to the three-dimensional brane whereas gravitons can propagate in the extra dimensions.
• Figure 2: Schematic illustration of BH formation by super-Planckian scattering of two incident particles $i$ and $j$ with impact parameter $b$. The event horizon forms before the particles come in causal contact.
• Figure 3: Schwarzschild stage of BH evaporation. The BH emits brane and bulk modes. The former are SM fields that can be observed. The gravitons $g$ are emitted in the bulk and cannot be observed.
• Figure 4: Total cross sections (pb) for BH formation ($n=2\dots 7$ from above) by proton-proton scattering at LHC (CM energy = 14 TeV). We have assumed $M_\star=1$ TeV and a threshold for BH formation $M_{\rm BH,min}=3M_\star$.
• Figure 5: Total cross sections (pb) of BH production by UHECR (neutrinos of energy $E_\nu$, $n=2\dots 7$ from above). The dashed curve is for the SM process. We have assumed $M_\star=1$ TeV $=M_{\rm BH,min}$.