HET seminar: Gerard ’t Hooft

Speaker: Gerard ’t Hooft

Title: The quantum black hole as a new hydrogen atom

Abstract: Einstein's equations can very well be used to study black hole microstates in detail. The problem is clarified by applying partial wave expansions to the energy-momentum distributions for in- and out-going matter, a procedure that makes the quantum black hole almost as transparent

As the hydrogen atom in the early days of quantum mechanics. We get a stunning view on the boundary conditions that have to be imposed on the system, where "firewalls", or rather their absence, play an essential role. Important implications for quantum gravity itself are expected.