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2 months ago in Quantum Gravity By Suma

If gravity is carried by gravitons, how do they escape black holes?

Gravitons are hypothetical particles that mediate the gravitational force. If nothing escapes a black hole, how do gravitons get out to exert gravity?

All Answers (2 Answers In All)

By Pranav Answered 1 month ago

They don't need to "escape" because the gravitational field itself is the geometry. In quantum field theory in curved spacetime, gravitons are excitations of that field. The black hole's horizon and interior are the field configuration. You don't need particles tunneling out; the presence of mass curves spacetime everywhere, inside and out. The graviton picture doesn't replace this it describes fluctuations on top of that curved background. No escape required.

Replied 1 month ago

By Suma

Thank you very much for this explanation.

By Kanika Answered 1 month ago

It is important to distinguish between dynamic signals and static gravitational structure.

The event horizon of a black hole prevents information or signals from escaping once they cross it. However, the gravitational field outside a black hole is not continuously transmitted from the interior. Instead, it reflects the total mass-energy content of the system as described by general relativity.

When a massive star collapses into a black hole, the external gravitational field smoothly transitions into the black hole solution (such as the Schwarzschild solution in classical general relativity). No ongoing emission from inside the event horizon is required to maintain that field.

If gravitons exist, they would describe small quantum fluctuations in the gravitational field, not the classical background curvature itself. Thus, the gravitational influence of a black hole does not require gravitons to escape from within the horizon.

Replied 3 weeks ago

By Suma

Thank you so much Kanika.

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