Black hole information paradox

Can a fluid analogue of a black hole point physicists toward the theory of quantum gravity, or is it a red herring?

The physicist-mathematician Miranda Cheng is working to harness a mysterious connection between string theory, algebra and number theory.

Two leading candidates for a “theory of everything,” long thought to be incompatible, may be two sides of the same coin.

By replacing black holes with fuzzballs — dense, star-like objects from string theory — researchers think they can avoid some knotty paradoxes at the edge of physics.

Imagine the fabric of space-time peeled back layer by layer.

New tools may reveal how quantum information builds the structure of space.

A bold new idea aims to link two famously discordant descriptions of nature. In doing so, it may also reveal how space-time owes its existence to the spooky connections of quantum information.

New calculations suggest physicists may someday discover a fundamental theory of gravity, but it could require a radical new perspective on the universe.

If a new hypothesis about black hole firewalls proves correct, at least one of three cherished notions in theoretical physics must be wrong.