The information recovery problem

TL;DR

This paper challenges common assumptions about black hole evolution, arguing that event horizons may not form before evaporation and presenting a unitary matter-gravity system as an alternative model.

Contribution

It introduces a fully coupled matter-gravity system that maintains unitarity without requiring event horizon formation prior to black hole evaporation.

Findings

Event horizons may not form before black hole evaporation.

A fully coupled matter-gravity system can be manifestly unitary.

Challenges traditional views on black hole information loss.

Abstract

The issue of unitary evolution during creation and evaporation of a black hole remains controversial. We~argue that some prominent cures are more troubling than the disease, demonstrate that their central element---forming of the event horizon before the evaporation begins---is not necessarily true, and describe a fully coupled matter-gravity system which is manifestly unitary.