Related papers: Disregarding the 'Hole Argument'
Combining deeper insight of Einstein's equations with sophisticated numerical techniques promises the ability to construct accurate numerical implementations of these equations. We illustrate this in two examples, the numerical evolution of…
I examine the debate between substantivalists and relationalists about the ontological character of spacetime and conclude it is not well posed. I argue that the so-called Hole Argument does not bear on the debate, because it provides no…
According to Karl Popper assumptions are statements used to construct theories. During the construction of a theory whether the assumptions are either true or false turn out to be irrelevant in view of the fact that, actually, they gain…
Among the geniuses of mankind, Einstein was probably one of those who made more erroneous claims, and often changed his opinion during the years on important scientific subjects. However, it is important to bear in mind that his mistakes…
In this Einstein Year of Physics it seems appropriate to look at an important aspect of Einstein's work that is often down-played: his contribution to the debate on the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Contrary to popular opinion, Bohr…
Unphysical equations of state result from the unrestricted use of the Synge G-trick of running the Einstein field equations backwards; in particular often this results in $\rho + p < 0$ which implies negative inertial mass density, which…
As per Einstein's design, particles are introduced into the double-slit experiment through a small hole in a plate which can either move up and down (and its momentum can be measured) or be stopped (and its position can be measured).…
Einstein's distinction between principle theories and constructive theories is methodological rather than metaphysical. Principle theories such as thermodynamics and relativity articulate empirically distilled constraints that delimit…
Interest in the black hole information paradox has recently been catalyzed by the newer "firewall" argument. The crux of the updated argument is that previous solutions which relied on observer complementarity are in violation of the…
The modern notion of a black hole singularity is considered with reference to the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein's field equations of general relativity. A brief derivation of both the original and the modern line elements is given. The…
Dirac's hole theory and quantum field theory are generally considered to be equivalent to each other. However, it has recently been shown that this is not necessarily the case. In this article we will discuss the reason for this lack of…
At the heart of both black hole physics and Wigner's friend scenarios lies the question of unitarity. In Wigner's friend setups, sealed-lab measurements are modeled unitarily, probing the measurement problem. In black hole physics, the…
Every philosophy has holes, and it is the responsibility of proponents of a philosophy to point out these problems. Here are a few holes in Bayesian data analysis: (1) the usual rules of conditional probability fail in the quantum realm,…
We point out that the contentions of Chapline (astro-ph/0503200)[1] that (i) General Relativity (GR) is in conflict with Quantum Mechanics (QM) and (ii) GR fails even on macroscopic length scales are incorrect and based on (i)…
It is generally accepted that Einstein's theory will get some as yet unknown corrections, possibly large in the strong field regime. An ideal place to look for these modifications is around the vicinities of compact objects such as black…
Byrne and Hall (1999) criticized the argument of Chalmers (1996) in favor of the Everett-style interpretation. They claimed to show ``the deep and underappreciated flaw in ANY Everett-style interpretation''. I will argue that it is possible…
In 1918, H. Weyl proposed a unified theory of gravity and electromagnetism based on a generalization of Riemannian geometry. In spite of its elegance and beauty, a serious objection was raised by Einstein, who argued that Weyl's theory was…
We discuss some recent work by Tim Maudlin concerning Black Hole Information Loss. We argue, contra Maudlin, that there is a paradox, in the straightforward sense that there are propositions that appear true, but which are incompatible with…
In this note I argue that a version of complementarity is possible which evades the need for the "firewalls" recently proposed by Almheiri, Marolf, Polchinski, and Sully to burn up observers falling into black hole horizons. In particular I…
Adam Brown and Leonard Susskind write in their new paper, "A holographic wormhole traversed in a quantum computer": "The idea of a wormhole dates back to 1935, when Albert Einstein and his collaborator, Nathan Rosen, studied black holes in…