Quantum information versus black hole physics: deep firewalls from narrow assumptions

Area of Science:

• Theoretical Physics
• Quantum Gravity
• Black Hole Thermodynamics

Background:

• The firewall paradox questions the smooth evaporation of black holes.
• It suggests a discontinuity occurs when a black hole reaches half its original surface area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To derive variations of the firewall paradox by analyzing thermodynamic entropy.
• To extend the analysis of the firewall paradox across a black hole's entire lifetime and to anti-de Sitter spacetimes.
• To investigate potential resolutions to the paradox, including the existence of firewalls.

Main Methods:

• Tracking thermodynamic entropy within black holes throughout their evaporation.
• Analyzing black hole evaporation in anti-de Sitter spacetimes.
• Re-evaluating the firewall paradox by removing conventional assumptions.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that the firewall paradox persists even after its initial onset, challenging previous analyses.
• Showed that vast accumulated entropy implies a 'deep firewall' extending throughout the black hole, not just at the horizon.
• Extended the firewall paradox analysis to anti-de Sitter spacetimes.

Conclusions:

• The firewall paradox is a robust phenomenon that exists beyond initial assumptions.
• The most natural resolution to the paradox may be the acceptance of firewalls as a real physical occurrence.
• The concept of a 'deep firewall' is proposed, contrasting with prior models of horizon-localized structures.