The Great Impersonation: $\mathcal{W}$-Solitons as Prototypical Black Hole Microstates
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866917117122576384 |
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| author | Dima, Alexandru Heidmann, Pierre Melis, Marco Pani, Paolo Patashuri, Gela |
| author_facet | Dima, Alexandru Heidmann, Pierre Melis, Marco Pani, Paolo Patashuri, Gela |
| contents | We analyze a new class of static, smooth geometries in five-dimensional supergravity, dubbed $\mathcal{W}$-solitons. They carry the same mass and charges as four-dimensional Reissner-Nordström-like black holes but replace the horizon with a Kaluza-Klein bubble supported by electromagnetic flux. These solutions provide analytically tractable prototypes of black hole microstates in supergravity, including a new, relevant neutral configuration involving a massless axion field. Focusing on photon scattering and scalar perturbations, we compute their key observables, aiming to identify mesoscopic observables. We find that $\mathcal{W}$-solitons feature a single photon sphere, qualitatively similar to that of the black hole but with quantitative differences. They have only short-lived quasinormal modes~(QNMs), as black holes, while long-lived echo modes seen in other ultracompact horizonless objects are absent. As a result, the ringdown closely resembles that of a black hole while still showing sizable deviations. The latter are at the ${\mathcal{O}}(10\%)$ level, compatible with the recent measurement of GW250114 and potentially falsifiable in the near future. Finally, we show that $\mathcal{W}$-solitons are stable under scalar perturbations. Our results underscore the qualitative similarities between $\mathcal{W}$-solitons and black holes, reinforcing their relevance as smooth black hole microstate prototypes. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_18245 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Great Impersonation: $\mathcal{W}$-Solitons as Prototypical Black Hole Microstates Dima, Alexandru Heidmann, Pierre Melis, Marco Pani, Paolo Patashuri, Gela General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena High Energy Physics - Theory We analyze a new class of static, smooth geometries in five-dimensional supergravity, dubbed $\mathcal{W}$-solitons. They carry the same mass and charges as four-dimensional Reissner-Nordström-like black holes but replace the horizon with a Kaluza-Klein bubble supported by electromagnetic flux. These solutions provide analytically tractable prototypes of black hole microstates in supergravity, including a new, relevant neutral configuration involving a massless axion field. Focusing on photon scattering and scalar perturbations, we compute their key observables, aiming to identify mesoscopic observables. We find that $\mathcal{W}$-solitons feature a single photon sphere, qualitatively similar to that of the black hole but with quantitative differences. They have only short-lived quasinormal modes~(QNMs), as black holes, while long-lived echo modes seen in other ultracompact horizonless objects are absent. As a result, the ringdown closely resembles that of a black hole while still showing sizable deviations. The latter are at the ${\mathcal{O}}(10\%)$ level, compatible with the recent measurement of GW250114 and potentially falsifiable in the near future. Finally, we show that $\mathcal{W}$-solitons are stable under scalar perturbations. Our results underscore the qualitative similarities between $\mathcal{W}$-solitons and black holes, reinforcing their relevance as smooth black hole microstate prototypes. |
| title | The Great Impersonation: $\mathcal{W}$-Solitons as Prototypical Black Hole Microstates |
| topic | General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena High Energy Physics - Theory |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.18245 |