Black brane

In general relativity, a black brane is a solution of the equations that generalizes a black hole solution but it is also extended —and translationally symmetric— in p additional spatial dimensions. Such a solution may therefore also be called a black p-brane.

In string theory, the solutions labeled as black branes provide us with an alternative description of the same objects called p-branes. Other descriptions of the same objects include D-branes. Some approximations of black branes might lead to entropy consistent with energy, from E=mc².

The metric for a black p-brane in a n-dimensional space-time is:

where:

• η is the (p+1)-Minkowski metric with signature (-,+,+,+,...),
• σ are the coordinates for the worldsheet of the black p-brane,
• u is its four-velocity,
• r is the radial coordinate and,
• Ω is the metric for a (n-p-2)-sphere, surrounding the brane.