Observation of Incipient Black Holes and the Information Loss Problem

Vachaspati, Tanmay; Stojkovic, Dejan; Krauss, Lawrence M.

Observation of Incipient Black Holes and the Information Loss Problem

Authors

Vachaspati, Tanmay

Stojkovic, Dejan

Krauss, Lawrence M.

Description

We study the formation of black holes by spherical domain wall collapse as seen by an asymptotic observer, using the functional Schrodinger formalism. To explore what signals such observers will see, we study radiation of a scalar quantum field in the collapsing domain wall background. The total energy flux radiated diverges when backreaction of the radiation on the collapsing wall is ignored, and the domain wall is seen by the asymptotic observer to evaporate by non-thermal ``pre-Hawking radiation'' during the collapse process. Evaporation by pre-Hawking radiation implies that an asymptotic observer can never lose objects down a black hole. Together with the non-thermal nature of the radiation, this may resolve the black hole information loss problem.
15 pages; 9 figures. Changes made in response to referee's comments and to clarify arguments, in particular to describe clearly that the results represent observations made by an asymptotic observer. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D