Black Hole Information Paradox: A major paradox in physics may have been solved, leading physicists one step closer to discovering the unified theory of everything. As published in the Quanta Magazine in October 2020, scientists may have solved the Black Hole Information Paradox, one of the most puzzling concepts in physics. However, in order to discover the solution, we must be able to understand the paradox.
An Artist's impression of a Black Hole (Quanta Magazine) by Ashley Mackenzie
What is the Black Hole Paradox?
When physicists refer to 'information' in science, they are referring to the quantum properties of the particles that constitute that object. The quantum information, in physics, follows the 'no-hiding theorem': this law dictates that if information is missing from one position, it must be located in another area of the universe, since the universe always conserves information.
However, when black holes began to became a more widely discussed topic, scientists also began to wonder: what happens to information in a black hole?
Due to Hawking's radiation (the gradual evaporation of a black hole), it was theorized that information may be lost forever, potentially shaking the quantum physics and general relativity. This was because, during Hawking's radiation, the evaporated particles did not seem to match the quantum properties of the information. Contrarily, scientists also theorized that information is not lost, and simply entered the black hole, thus maintaining the no-hiding theorem's integrity.
Is information lost forever?
Ultimately, it was discovered that information is not lost forever. One of the primary methods in which this conclusion was reached was through the analysis of the 'Page curve', created by Don Page.
The Page Curve (Quanta Magazine) by Samuel Velasco
The Page curve dictates that the radiation emitted by the black holes has a quantum link with its original location. As the process begins, the entangled entropy (which is the amount of quantum entanglement between the black hole and its radiation) begins at 0. As the process ends- and the black hole 'dies'- the entangled entropy returns back to 0.
Recently, it was proved that this, in fact, is true, with the entanglement entropy being represented accurately by the Page curve. Scientists discovered that information is transferred from the black hole to the evaporated particles, thus showing that information is never truly lost.
Therefore, with this knowledge, scientists have solved a 50 year paradox that has baffled numerous people. Through the course of this process, scientists used numerous aspects of theoretical physics and astrophysics in order to ensure that the solution would remain constant throughout several research fields. Understanding the Black Hole Information Paradox is yet another bridge between general relativity and quantum physics, potentially paving the way to a unified theory of everything. Finally, it the solution, in all its elegance, also helps us realize that information is never lost, and in always in our universe.
Comments
Post a Comment