RECOVERING INFORMATION FROM BEHIND THE BLACK HOLE HORIZON
Abstract
A foundational idea in high-energy theoretical physics is the conjecture that, from a distance, black holes behave like ordinary quantum systems. This idea originated in the work of Bekenstein and Hawking in the 1970s. In the decades since then, the idea has been refined, and further evidence has been added. In particular, new ways in which black hole physics correctly emulates quantum physics have been identified, including themodynamics, thermalization, transport, quantum chaos, and dynamics of entanglement. However, there are a few persistent areas in which black holes have so far failed to behave like ordinary quantum systems. These problematic areas are known collectively as the “black hole information problem.” And chief among them is the following basic problem: what happens to the information that falls into a black hole? If a black hole behaves like an ordinary quantum system, then the answer must be that the information is returned in the Hawking radiation. However, it is not clear how this happens, since the information would have to apparently travel on a causality-violating trajectory in order to make it out of the black hole into the Hawking radiation. In this project, the recipient will seek to explain this puzzle by combining two recent developments in the field of black hole physics. The two developments are, first, the traversable wormhole protocol, and second, replica wormholes and the Petz map.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 2021
- Source ID
- HQ00342010031
Entities
People
- Douglas Stanford
Organizations
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Stanford University
- Washington Headquarters Services