Superconformal multi-black hole quantum mechanics

Abstract

The quantum mechanics of N slowly-moving charged BPS black holes in five-dimensional N = 1 supergravity is considered. The moduli space metric of the N black holes is derived and shown to admit 4 supersymmetries. A near-horizon limit is found in which the dynamics of widely separated black holes decouples from that of strongly-interacting, near-coincident black holes. This decoupling suggests that the quantum states supported in the near-horizon moduli space can be interpreted as internal states of a single composite black hole carrying all of the charge. The near-horizon theory is shown to have an enhanced D(2; 1; 0) superconformal symmetry. Eigenstates of the Hamiltonian H of the near-horizon theory are ill-defined due to noncompact regions of the moduli space corresponding to highly redshifted near-coincident black holes. It is argued that one should consider, instead of H eigenstates, eigenstates of 2L(o) = H + K, where K is the generator of special conformal transformations. The result is a well defined Hilbert space with a discrete spectrum describing the N-black hole dynamics.