Related papers: Is the Black Hole Complementarity principle really…
Recently, Akers et al. proposed a non-isometric holographic map from the interior of a black hole to its exterior. Within this model, we study properties of the black hole $S$-matrix, which are in principle accessible to observers who stay…
We establish the analytic structure of the S-matrix in the complex-frequency plane for classical wave scattering on a Schwarzschild background in four space-time dimensions. Our argument relies on the analytic continuation of the…
The near-horizon field B of an old black hole is maximally entangled with the early Hawking radiation R, by unitarity of the S-matrix. But B must be maximally entangled with the black hole interior A, by the equivalence principle. Causal…
We discuss the limitations of 't Hooft's proposal for the black hole S-matrix. We find that the validity of the S-matrix implies violation of the semi-classical approximation at scales large compared to the Planck scale. We also show that…
We propose a semiclassical method to calculate S-matrix elements for two-stage gravitational transitions involving matter collapse into a black hole and evaporation of the latter. The method consistently incorporates back-reaction of the…
If one assumes the validity of conventional quantum field theory in the vicinity of the horizon of a black hole, one does not find a quantum mechanical description of the entire black hole that even remotely resembles that of conventional…
We propose an S matrix approach to the quantum black hole in which causality, unitarity and their interrelation play a prominent role. Assuming the 't Hooft S matrix ansatz for a gravitating region surrounded by an asymptotically flat…
The black hole information paradox forces us into a strange situation: we must find a way to break the semiclassical approximation in a domain where no quantum gravity effects would normally be expected. Traditional quantizations of gravity…
A test particle falling into a classical black hole crosses the event horizon and ends up in the singularity within finite eigentime. In the `more realistic' case of a `classical' evaporating black hole, an observer falling onto a black…
Extending our previous results on trans-Planckian ($Gs \gg \hbar$) scattering of light particles in quantum string-gravity we present a calculation of the corresponding S-matrix from the region of large impact parameters ($b \gg…
The S-matrix Ansatz has been proposed by 't Hooft to overcome difficulties and apparent contradictions of standard quantum field theory close to the black hole horizon. In this paper we revisit and explore some of its aspects. We start by…
The prevalent opinion that infalling objects can freely cross a black hole horizon is based on the assumptions that the horizon region is governed by classical General Relativity and by specific singular coordinate transformations it is…
A new way to implement the causality condition on the event horizon of black holes is discovered. The metric of a black hole is shown to be a function of the complex-valued gravitational radius r_g => r_g + i0. The relation between this…
We discuss the construction of the analog of an S-matrix for space-times that begin with a Big-Bang and asymptote to an FRW universe with nonnegative cosmological constant. When the cosmological constant is positive there are many such…
Previous results on trans-Planckian collisions in superstring theory are rewritten in terms of an explicitly unitary S-matrix whose range of validity covers a large region of the energy/impact-parameter plane. Amusingly, as part of this…
We investigate a recent development of the black hole information problem, in which a practical paradox has been formulated to show that complementarity is insufficient. A crucial ingredient in this practical paradox is to distill…
We investigate the recent black hole firewall argument. For a black hole in a typical state we argue that unitarity requires every quantum of radiation leaving the black hole to carry information about the initial state. An information-free…
It is argued that a slight modification of the complementarity principle may help to overcome paradoxes about the observer who falls through the event horizon
We derive and critically examine the consequences that follow from the formation of a regular black or white hole horizon in finite time of a distant observer. In spherical symmetry, only two distinct classes of solutions to the…
Following Hawking, it is usual to mimic the effect of collapse space-time geometry on quantum fields in a semi-classical approximation by imposing suitable boundary conditions at the origin of coordinates, which effectively becomes a moving…