Wuthrich, Christian (2017) Are black holes about information? [Preprint]
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Abstract
Information theory is increasingly invoked by physicists concerned with fundamental physics, including black hole physics. But to what extent is the application of information theory in those contexts legitimate? Using the case of black hole thermodynamics and Bekenstein's celebrated argument for the entropy of black holes, I will argue that information-theoretic notions are problematic in the present case. Bekenstein's original argument, as suggestive as it may appear, thus fails. This example is particularly pertinent to the theme of the present collection because the Bekenstein-Hawking formula for black hole entropy is widely accepted as 'empirical data' in notoriously empirically deprived quantum gravity, even though the laws of black hole thermodynamics have so far evaded empirical confirmation.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | Forthcoming in Richard Dawid, Radin Dardashti, and Karim Thébault (eds.), Epistemology of Fundamental Physics, Cambridge University Press. | ||||||
| Keywords: | black holes; black hole thermodynamics; entropy; Bekenstein; quantum gravity; non-empirical methods | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
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| Depositing User: | Christian Wuthrich | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 20 Sep 2017 15:39 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 20 Sep 2017 15:39 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 13459 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Gravity Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
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| Date: | 20 September 2017 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13459 |
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Are black holes about information? (deposited 18 Aug 2017 16:02)
- Are black holes about information? (deposited 20 Sep 2017 15:39) [Currently Displayed]
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