Gedanken Experiments involving Black Holes

TL;DR

This paper analyzes thought experiments involving black holes, suggesting that black hole complementarity remains plausible within known physics, and discusses the limitations of experiments to detect duplicate information or baryon number violation.

Contribution

It demonstrates that known physical principles do not rule out black hole complementarity and highlights the challenges in testing these ideas through thought experiments.

Findings

Outside observer experiments require Planck-scale knowledge

No observer can detect duplicate information before hitting the singularity

Baryon number violation experiments produce significant effects outside the horizon

Abstract

Analysis of several gedanken experiments indicates that black hole complementarity cannot be ruled out on the basis of known physical principles. Experiments designed by outside observers to disprove the existence of a quantum-mechanical stretched horizon require knowledge of Planck-scale effects for their analysis. Observers who fall through the event horizon after sampling the Hawking radiation cannot discover duplicate information inside the black hole before hitting the singularity. Experiments by outside observers to detect baryon number violation will yield significant effects well outside the stretched horizon.