Paul H Frampton et al 2009 Class. Quantum Grav. 26 145005 doi:10.1088/0264-9381/26/14/145005
Paul H Frampton1, Stephen D H Hsu2, Thomas W Kephart3 and David Reeb2
Show affiliationsStandard calculations suggest that the entropy of our universe is dominated by black holes, whose entropy is of order their area in Planck units, although they comprise only a tiny fraction of its total energy. Statistical entropy is the logarithm of the number of microstates consistent with the observed macroscopic properties of a system, hence a measure of uncertainty about its precise state. Therefore, assuming unitarity in black hole evaporation, the standard results suggest that the largest uncertainty in the future quantum state of the universe is due to the Hawking radiation from evaporating black holes. However, the entropy of the matter precursors to astrophysical black holes is enormously less than that given by area entropy. If unitarity relates the future radiation states to the black hole precursor states, then the standard results are highly misleading, at least for an observer that can differentiate the individual states of the Hawking radiation.
04.70.Dy Quantum aspects of black holes, evaporation, thermodynamics
95.30.Tg Thermodynamic processes, conduction, convection, equations of state
Issue 14 (21 July 2009)
Received 5 February 2009, in final form 7 April 2009
Published 19 June 2009
Paul H Frampton et al 2009 Class. Quantum Grav. 26 145005
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