What is the nature of information in black holes?

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of information in the context of black holes, specifically the debate between Susskind and Hawking on whether information is lost or conserved when falling into a black hole. The conversation also mentions the use of bits to measure information and the idea of a quantum hologram. It is noted that our current understanding of information may be incomplete in the context of black holes.
  • #1
shounakbhatta
288
1
Hello.

I was reading through Black holes and what happen when information falls inside the black hole. The intellectual battle between Susskind and Hawking...I also heard through the lectures on Susskind describing what is information.

(a) Bits
(b) A single photon
(c) The n number of molecules ......

If anybody can explain what is information?

Thanks.
 
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  • #2
Information in this context is charge, spin, and mass
 
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  • #3
I am also curious to know more about it.
 
  • #4
In the context of something falling into a black hole, information is everything you would need to know to reproduce the object that has made the descent and its exact state. When estimating the amount of information required to describe such an object, the unit "bits" can be used - but the information is never actually in bit form. That is, if the amount of information required to fully describe a rock is X petabytes, that doesn't mean that that information is available for downloading to your X petabyte thumb drive.
 
  • #5
shounakbhatta said:
Hello.

I was reading through Black holes and what happen when information falls inside the black hole. The intellectual battle between Susskind and Hawking...I also heard through the lectures on Susskind describing what is information.

(a) Bits
(b) A single photon
(c) The n number of molecules ......

If anybody can explain what is information?

Thanks.
The argument that Hawking first put forward was that all information was lost as material was torn to pieces at the event horizon. Susskind could not accept that all, or any?, information was lost.

Hawking redressed his original claim about the issue and put forward a proof that suggested that information might be conserved on the surface of a black hole, Susskind suggested that the conserved information might represent a type of quantum hologram - 2d with the aspects and illusions of 3d.

Calculations, by persons I can't quote, suggest that the surface of the black hole will increase proportional to the increase in information absorbed from the matter consumed, but I believe there is a published account of that argument. The Conservation of Information around a Black Hole...
 
  • #6
This serves to demonstrate our definition of information is incomplete. Black holes seem entirely unaffected by this dichotomy. They are perfectly well behaved by all the usual laws of classical physics. It only gets weird when you probe around the event horizon.
 

FAQ: What is the nature of information in black holes?

How does information get lost in a black hole?

According to current theories, when an object falls into a black hole, it undergoes a process known as "spaghettification" where it is stretched and torn apart by the intense gravitational forces. This process breaks down the object's information into its smallest possible components, making it impossible to retrieve.

Can information be retrieved from a black hole?

Some scientists believe that information may not be completely lost in a black hole, but instead may be encoded and stored in the event horizon (the point of no return). However, this is still a topic of debate and there is currently no way to test or prove this theory.

What is the black hole information paradox?

The black hole information paradox refers to the contradiction between two fundamental principles of physics - the conservation of information and the principles of general relativity. The paradox arises because according to general relativity, information cannot escape a black hole, but according to quantum mechanics, information cannot be destroyed.

How does Hawking radiation relate to information in black holes?

Hawking radiation is a theoretical phenomenon in which black holes emit radiation due to quantum effects near the event horizon. This radiation carries away energy from the black hole, causing it to eventually evaporate. Some scientists believe that this radiation may contain information about the objects that fell into the black hole, but this is still a topic of research and debate.

Can we ever fully understand the information inside a black hole?

As of now, we do not have a complete understanding of what happens to information inside a black hole. The laws of physics as we know them break down at the singularity (the center) of a black hole, making it difficult to study and understand. More research and advancements in physics may help us to gain a better understanding in the future.

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