BLACK HOLES AND THE THIRD LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

Abstract

We discuss in the framework of black hole thermodynamics some aspects relative to the third law in the case of black holes of the Kerr–Newman family. In the light of the standard proof of the equivalence between the unattainability of the zero temperature and the entropic version of the third law it is remarked that the unattainability has a special character in black hole thermodynamics. Also the zero temperature limit which obtained in the case of very massive black holes is discussed and it is shown that a violation of the entropic version in the charged case occurs. The violation of the Bekenstein–Hawking law in favour of zero entropy SE=0 in the case of extremal black holes is suggested as a natural solution for a possible violation of the second law of thermodynamics. Thermostatic arguments in support of the unattainability are explored, and SE=0 for extremal black holes is shown to be again a viable solution. The third law of black hole dynamics by W. Israel is then interpreted as a further strong corroboration to the picture of a discontinuity between extremal states and non-extremal ones.