On Quantum Contributions to Black Hole Growth

The effects of Wheeler's quantum foam on black hole growth are explored from an astrophysical perspective. Quantum fluctuations in the form of mini (10^-5 g) black holes can couple to macroscopic black holes and allow the latter to grow exponentially in mass on a time scale of ~10^9 years. Consequently, supermassive black holes can acquire a lot of their mass through these quantum contributions over the life time of the universe. This alleviates the need for very efficient forms of baryonic matter accretion more recent than a redshift z~6. Sgr A* in the Milky Way center is a candidate to verify this quantum space-time effect, with a predicted mass growth rate of 4x10^-3 Mo yr^-1. A few comments on the possibility and consequences of dark matter as quantum grown black holes are made, with a big crunch fate of the universe.

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