"Cancel" the event horizon of black holes

Stephen Hawking "cancel" the event horizon of black holes

Renowned scientist proposes to abandon the defining characteristics of a black hole - the event horizon. Stephen Hawking believes that the gravity of a black hole traps can still escape.

The concept of "event horizon" - a border crossing after which even light can not escape outside the black hole, it is considered the main characteristic of the space object. However, the idea that there is an object whose gravity prevents escape of any particle, is incompatible with the modern quantum physics.

In the classical theory of black hole, there is no escape, but two years ago, physicist Joe Polchinski and his colleagues conducted a thought experiment, during which there was the so-called paradox of the fire wall or the paradox of the firewall (firewall paradox).

The researchers presented a thought experiment, what would happen to an astronaut who fell into a black hole. Classical theory paints the following picture: an astronaut unwittingly crosses the event horizon, unaware of their doom, and it is impossible to return. This astronaut is in a state of free fall and is experiencing congestion. However, as we approach the center of the black hole, the astronaut, like spaghetti supermassive gravity squeezes the incredible singularity (an infinitely dense core of the black hole). Fortunately, the terrible death of astronaut no one can see - after crossing the event horizon, to the outside observer, it just disappears into a black hole, even though the astronaut would not notice the border crossing, and continue the flight to a singularity.

However, a more detailed analysis, conducted by a team Polchinski led scientists to a startling conclusion. It turns out that the laws of quantum mechanics, which govern the particles on a small scale, can completely change the situation with the flight of astronauts. Quantum theory makes an event horizon in a very vigorous region - the same firewall or a wall of fire. Firewall astronaut burn down well before approaching the singularity.

The paradox firewall caused panic among physicists, because relying on quantum physics, he contested the general theory of relativity. According to this theory, the astronaut in free fall must obey the laws of physics, identical throughout the universe, and that is near the black hole, and in the empty intergalactic space. According to Einstein's theory, the event horizon to be unremarkable place, but not the "wall of fire».

Stephen Hawking offers a third, seductively simple option that cable-stayed mechanics and general relativity remains intact. The essence of the idea that black holes are not just the event horizon and the wall of fire, since quantum effects cause the black hole is too strong fluctuations of space-time. As a result, near a black hole can not exist any sharp boundaries: whether it's an event horizon or firewall.

At the site of the event horizon, according to the theory of Hawking, there is a blurred boundary, a visible or imaginary horizon. It blurred the boundary at which the rays of light escaping from the black hole, are beginning to slow down. In general relativity, the light trying to escape from a black hole, but stuck at the border of the event horizon, where gravity is strong enough to inhibit the photons. Therefore, the theory of relativity visible horizon and event horizon does not stand out in two separate phenomena. Nevertheless, Hocking believed that the two layers can be distinguished. For example, if a black hole will absorb a large amount of matter, its event horizon will grow more than the visible horizon.

On the other hand, black holes can be gradually reduced, spewing so-called Hawking radiation. In this case, the event horizon, theoretically, it becomes less visible horizon.

Hawking's new proposal does not dispute the fact that the event horizon there. After all, its absence means that there are no black holes, because matter and the information they can safely leave.

However, Hawking's new theory raises a number of questions. First of all, it turns out that a black hole can still be "let go" of matter and energy, albeit in a distorted form. For example, in the case of reduction of the visible horizon up to a small size, where the effects of quantum mechanics and gravity come together, the black hole can disappear. At this point, all the matter and energy stored by a black hole, liberated, although not in the form in which they were captured. Also in doubt the existence of a singularity at the center of a black hole. If Hawking is right, the matter inside the black hole is on a "temporary storage" in the visible horizon: it will slowly move into the black hole under the influence of gravity, but never will be compressed into an infinitely dense singularity. At the same time preserve the principle of the event horizon: even if the information absorbed by the black hole will break objects beyond it through Hawking radiation, it will be in a completely different form and restore the appearance of these objects will not be possible.

Hawking's theory - an attempt to combine the contradictions of quantum and classical physics. However, it will not be so easy. In the words of Stephen Hawking, in the classical theory of black hole is not the outcome, but quantum theory allows the energy and information come out of the black hole. The physicist recognizes that a full explanation of the processes occurring in the black hole, need to unite gravity with other fundamental forces of nature, and this problem remains unsolved for nearly a century.





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