TASI Lectures on Black Holes in String Theory

This is a write-up of introductory lectures on black holes in string theory given at TASI-99. Topics discussed include: black holes, thermodynamics and the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, the information problem; supergravity actions, conserved quantum numbers, supersymmetry and BPS states, units, duality and dimensional reduction, solution-generating; extremal M-branes and D-branes, smearing, probe actions, nonextremal branes, the Gregory-Laflamme instability; breakdown of supergravity and the Correspondence Principle, limits in parameter space, singularities; making black holes with branes, intersectionology, the harmonic function rule, explicit d=5, 4 examples; string computations of extremal black hole entropy in d=5, 4, rotation, fractionation; nonextremality and entropy, the link to BTZ black holes, Hawking radiation and absorption cross-sections in the string/brane and supergravity pictures.