• Open Access

Singularities from Entropy

Raphael Bousso and Arvin Shahbazi-Moghaddam
Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 231301 – Published 9 June 2022

Abstract

Assuming the Bousso bound, we prove a singularity theorem: if the light rays entering a hyperentropic region contract, then at least one light ray must be incomplete. “Hyperentropic” means that the entropy of the region exceeds the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of its spatial boundary. Our theorem provides a direct link between singularities and quantum information. The hyperentropic condition replaces the noncompactness assumption in Penrose’s theorem, so our theorem is applicable even in a closed universe. In an asymptotically de Sitter spacetime, for example, a big bang singularity can be diagnosed from the presence of dilute radiation at arbitrarily late times. In asymptotically flat space, Penrose’s theorem can be recovered by adding soft radiation.

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  • Received 23 March 2022
  • Accepted 25 May 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.231301

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Quantum Information, Science & TechnologyGravitation, Cosmology & AstrophysicsParticles & Fields

Authors & Affiliations

Raphael Bousso

  • Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics and Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

Arvin Shahbazi-Moghaddam

  • Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA

Article Text

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Issue

Vol. 128, Iss. 23 — 10 June 2022

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