Workshop II - Black holes and compact objects: Quantum aspects

This is a summary of the papers presented in session W2 on a fairly wide-ranging variety of topics in the area of black hole physics and quantum aspects of gravity, including quantum field and string theory in curved spacetimes. In addition, experts in a couple of topical subjects were invited to present short surveys on the subjects of their specialization. The invited speakers were: Mitra, who surveys recent research on the very topical area of AdS black holes, and Date, who presents a comparative perspective on trapping and isolated horizons. Among the contributed papers, the first, by Jassal, is an attempt to understand the dynamics of strings near a black hole horizon. This is followed by a paper by Barve et al on a calculation of the quantum stress tensor for a background that includes a naked singularity. Following this we have Singh on radial oscillations of quark stars in strong magnetic fields. The next paper by Goyal and Dahiya, discusses chiral symmetry restoration in a linear sigma model in the presence of a magnetic field. The following paper, by Horwitz, offers new perspectives on the intriguing question of primordial black holes. Finally, Madhavan discusses issues pertaining to the classical limit of kinematical quantum gravity.