English

Membrane paradigm realized?

High Energy Physics - Theory 2011-01-25 v1 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology

Abstract

Are there any degrees of freedom on the black hole horizon? Using the `membrane paradigm' we can reproduce coarse-grained physics outside the hole by assuming a fictitious membrane just outside the horizon. But to solve the information puzzle we need `real' degrees of freedom at the horizon, which can modify Hawking's evolution of quantum modes. We argue that recent results on gravitational microstates imply a set of real degrees of freedom just outside the horizon; the state of the hole is a linear combination of rapidly oscillating gravitational solutions with support concentrated just outside the horizon radius. The collective behavior of these microstate solutions may give a realization of the membrane paradigm, with the fictitious membrane now replaced by real, explicit degrees of freedom.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1005.3555,
  title  = {Membrane paradigm realized?},
  author = {Samir D. Mathur},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1005.3555},
  year   = {2011}
}

Comments

8 pages, Latex, 3 figures (Essay given second place in Gravity Research Foundation essay competition 2010)

R2 v1 2026-06-21T15:25:16.529Z