On time evolution of quantum black holes

The time evolution of black holes involves both the canonical equations of quantum gravity and the statistical mechanics of Hawking radiation, neither of which contains a time variable. In order to introduce the time, we apply the semiclassical approximation to the Hamiltonian constraint on the apparent horizon and show that, when the backreaction is included, it suggests the existence of a long-living remnant, similarly to what is obtained in the microcanonical picture for the Hawking radiation. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V