Inelastic scattering of electrons by black hole atoms

Electron-impact inelastic scattering processes involving black hole atoms are calculated by direct solution of the general relativistic Klein-Gordon equation. In Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates for the space-time metric, the Hamiltonian is non-singular, complex and non-Hermitian. Bound states of an electron and a black hole with a mass of 3.8 x 10(12) kg and 3.8 x 10(13) kg are found by matrix diagonalization of the time-independent Klein-Gordon equation. Absorption effects on inelastic scattering of electrons by a black hole atom are investigated by comparing solutions of the time-dependent Klein-Gordon equation with and without general relativistic corrections to the Newtonian gravitational potential. As the black hole becomes more massive, the absorption effects on the inelastic scattering become more pronounced.