The black hole information problem beyond quantum theory

TL;DR

This paper explores how the black hole information problem changes when considering generalized probabilistic theories beyond standard quantum mechanics, revealing that information delocalizes rather than simply escaping or remaining hidden.

Contribution

It introduces a new information decoupling theorem within generalized probabilistic theories and shows how black hole information dynamics are altered in these frameworks.

Findings

Information escapes after half the Hawking radiation is emitted, but often remains delocalized.

The no-hiding theorem does not hold in generalized theories, leading to delocalized information.

The Wootters-Hardy parameter determines the modification of information escape timing.

Abstract

The origin of black hole entropy and the black hole information problem provide important clues for trying to piece together a quantum theory of gravity. Thus far, discussions on this topic have mostly assumed that in a consistent theory of gravity and quantum mechanics, quantum theory will be unmodified. Here, we examine the black hole information problem in the context of generalisations of quantum theory. In particular, we examine black holes in the setting of generalised probabilistic theories, in which quantum theory and classical probability theory are special cases. We compute the time it takes information to escape a black hole, assuming that information is preserved. We find that under some very general assumptions, the arguments of Page (that information should escape the black hole after half the Hawking photons have been emitted), and the black-hole mirror result of Hayden and Preskill (that information can escape quickly) need to be modified. The modification is determined entirely by what we call the Wootters-Hardy parameter associated with a theory. We find that although the information leaves the black hole after enough photons have been emitted, it is fairly generic that it fails to appear outside the black hole at this point -- something impossible in quantum theory due to the no-hiding theorem. The information is neither inside the black hole, nor outside it, but is delocalised. Our central technical result is an information decoupling theorem which holds in the generalised probabilistic framework.