What Exactly is the Information Paradox?
High Energy Physics - Theory
2009-01-28 v1
Abstract
The black hole information paradox tells us something important about the way quantum mechanics and gravity fit together. In these lectures I try to give a pedagogical review of the essential physics leading to the paradox, using mostly pictures. Hawking's argument is recast as a `theorem': if quantum gravity effects are confined to within a given length scale and the vacuum is assumed to be unique, then there will be information loss. We conclude with a brief summary of how quantum effects in string theory violate the first condition and make the interior of the hole a `fuzzball'.
Cite
@article{arxiv.0803.2030,
title = {What Exactly is the Information Paradox?},
author = {Samir D. Mathur},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0803.2030},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Latex, 43 pages, 17 figures (Proceedings of the 4th Aegean Summer School on Black Holes, Mytilene (Greece), September 2007)