This article analyses the so‑called “black hole information paradox” — one of the most discussed problems in modern theoretical physics. It is shown that the paradox arises only within the framework of “informational language”, where the word “information” is used in three different senses that become conflated. A distinction is introduced between the ontic (the physical configuration of the system, existing independently of any observer) and the epistemic (the observer’s knowledge about the system). A simple description of Hawking radiation is given: quantum fluctuations near the horizon of a collapsar produce pairs of particles; one falls inward, the other escapes, creating the appearance of evaporation. Based on this distinction, a reformulation of the problem is proposed in terms of physical objects without the ontologised concept of “information”. In this reformulation, a collapsar (so‑called “black hole”) is a compact massive object into whose gravitational capture zone physical systems are drawn. Crossing the event horizon means an epistemic loss (the observer ceases to know the configuration), not an ontological destruction. The unitarity of quantum mechanics is not violated because the total quantum state of the system evolves reversibly. The main counter‑arguments (the firewall paradox, the unproven status of correlations in Hawking radiation) are examined and answered. It is shown that the “information paradox” disappears, leaving a technical problem of describing quantum correlations. This article is the first in the series “Reformulating Key Concepts of Physics Without Informational Language”. Keywords: collapsar, information paradox, ontic, epistemic, configuration, observer’s knowledge.
This article analyses the so‑called “black hole information paradox” — one of the most discussed problems in modern theoretical physics. It is shown that the paradox arises only within the framework of “informational language”, where the word “information” is used in three different senses that become conflated. A distinction is introduced between the ontic (the physical configuration of the system, existing independently of any observer) and the epistemic (the observer’s knowledge about the system). A simple description of Hawking radiation is given: quantum fluctuations near the horizon of a collapsar produce pairs of particles; one falls inward, the other escapes, creating the appearance of evaporation. Based on this distinction, a reformulation of the problem is proposed in terms of physical objects without the ontologised concept of “information”. In this reformulation, a collapsar (so‑called “black hole”) is a compact massive object into whose gravitational capture zone physical systems are drawn. Crossing the event horizon means an epistemic loss (the observer ceases to know the configuration), not an ontological destruction. The unitarity of quantum mechanics is not violated because the total quantum state of the system evolves reversibly. The main counter‑arguments (the firewall paradox, the unproven status of correlations in Hawking radiation) are examined and answered. It is shown that the “information paradox” disappears, leaving a technical problem of describing quantum correlations. This article is the first in the series “Reformulating Key Concepts of Physics Without Informational Language”. Keywords: collapsar, information paradox, ontic, epistemic, configuration, observer’s knowledge.
This programmatic article (zeroth in the series “Reformulating Key Concepts of Physics Without Informational Language”) outlines a systematic replacement of “informational language” by physical language. It shows that many paradoxes of modern physics — the collapsar information paradox, Landauer’s principle as “proof of the physicality of information”, the holographic principle as “the informational nature of reality”, and Wheeler’s thesis “It from Bit” (“Everything from the bit”) — arise from conflating three senses of the word “information”: configuration (physical state), observer’s knowledge (epistemic category), and pseudosubstance (metaphysical construct, to be rejected). The key distinction between the ontic (pertaining to reality itself) and the epistemic (pertaining to our knowledge) is introduced. Confusing these levels is the root of pseudo‑paradoxes. On this basis, the article proposes to reformulate eight key concepts (each covered in a separate article of the series): the collapsar pseudo‑paradox, Landauer’s principle, the holographic principle, Wheeler’s thesis, entropy as “missing information”, as well as to compile a correspondence dictionary, analyse the firewall paradox, and address the technical problem of quantum state recovery. The aim of the reformulation is to eliminate pseudo‑problems, return physics to describing matter, fields, and space‑time, and provide a practical tool (dictionary) for switching to clear physical language. The article invites the scientific community to discussion. Keywords: informational language, reformulation, ontic, epistemic, collapsar, programmatic article.
This article analyses the firewall paradox (wall‑of‑fire paradox, AMPS) — one of the most discussed challenges to modern quantum gravity. The paradox arises from an apparent contradiction between three postulates: the unitarity of quantum mechanics, the semiclassical description of Hawking radiation, and Einstein’s equivalence principle. Proponents of “informational language” argue that to save information, one must abandon the equivalence principle and accept the existence of a high‑energy “firewall” at the event horizon of a collapsar. It is shown that the firewall paradox is a problem of “informational language” , not a physical contradiction. The paradox is rooted in the conflation of the three senses of “information” (configuration, observer’s knowledge, pseudosubstance) introduced in Article 1. When reformulated in physical language (configuration, quantum correlations, unitary evolution), the need for a “firewall” disappears. Monogamy of entanglement is a property of quantum correlations, not an “informational principle”. The change in correlation structure after Page time is a technical problem, not a fundamental contradiction. Alternative approaches (Susskind’s complementarity) that do not require a firewall are considered. Responses to possible objections are given. The reformulation preserves the equivalence principle, eliminates the pseudo‑paradox, and turns the problem into a technical description of quantum correlations. The article is the seventh in the series “Reformulating Key Concepts of Physics Without Informational Language”. Keywords: firewall paradox, wall of fire, AMPS, collapsar, information, quantum correlations, monogamy of entanglement.
In contemporary physical discourse, the term “information” is used in at least three different senses, which are often conflated, creating pseudo‑problems — the most striking example being the “black hole information paradox”. This article identifies these three phenomena and proposes separate, correct terms for each. The first phenomenon is information as the configuration of a physical system (the microscopic state of fields and particles). This is an ontic phenomenon, existing independently of any observer. The author proposes calling it “configuration” (information in the sense of the physical state of a system). The second phenomenon is information as the observer’s knowledge about the system. This is an epistemic phenomenon, existing only relative to an observer. The proposed term is “observer’s knowledge” (information in the sense of the description accessible to an observer). The third phenomenon is information as an independent physical entity (Wheeler’s “It from Bit” thesis). This is a metaphysical construct lacking a rigorous physical definition. The author proposes calling it “pseudosubstance” (information in the sense of an independent ontological entity) and notes that in serious physical discourse this term should not be used as a working concept. The proposed terminology eliminates ambiguity, makes pseudo‑problems disappear, and returns physics to its foundations — the description of physical objects, not of “information” as a separate entity. During a transitional period, it is recommended to use constructions with parenthetical explanations: “configuration (information in the sense of the physical state of a system)”. The author invites the scientific community to discuss these proposals. Keywords: information, terminology, configuration, observer’s knowledge, pseudosubstance, information paradox.
Abstract The black hole information paradox (Hawking, 19741976) poses a fundamental conict: quantum mechanics requires unitary evolution (information is preserved), while black hole evaporation via Hawking radiation appears to destroy information (the radiation is thermal, carrying no information about the in-fallen state). After fty years of debate, the paradox remains unresolvedHawking conceded it in 2004 [3] but no complete mechanism has been identied. ˆ We resolve the paradox by identifying its source: confusing Ω with Πext[Ω]. Information is never destroyed. Ω-conservation (Noether, P2) guarantees this. What is destroyed at the event horizon is not the information but the exterior ˆ observer's projection operator : Πext becomes inapplicable inside the horizon. The ˆ ˆ information encoded in the in-fallen matter passes from Πext[Ω] to Πint[Ω]two projections of the same Ω = 1 that agree in total but disagree in local accessibility. Hawking radiation is the κ→0 leakage of Ω-entanglement across the projection boundary. The Page curve [4]entanglement entropy rising and then falling as the black hole evaporatesfollows directly from Ω-conservation without invoking island formulas [8, 9] or specic stringy mechanisms. The paradox is not a paradox. It is a projection error.
The complete evaporation of black holes, as a natural endpoint of Hawking radiation, gives rise to the black hole information paradox, which fundamentally challenges the principles of unitarity and information conservation in quantum mechanics. Although the AdS/CFT correspondence indicates that information is preserved during black hole evaporation, the precise mechanism by which it is recovered from the Hawking radiation remains an open question. To explore a potential resolution, we investigate information transfer in a spin-chain model featuring an effective horizon realized via position-dependent couplings within an XY spin chain. We derive and demonstrate Page curve-like behavior, and analyze the transmission of quantum resources, such as entanglement and coherence, across the effective horizon. Our results show that quantum resources initially localized within an interior subsystem can be transferred to the exterior via particle radiation through the horizon. This study provides a novel perspective from quantum simulation on how information may escape from black holes, thereby contributing to the further understanding of the black hole information paradox.
This document is part of the Informational Mechanics (IM) framework and is published in the IM-D (Core Physics) series within the IM v0.3 corpus. The paper addresses the black hole information problem by re-examining the physical meaning of information under extreme gravitational collapse. Rather than treating the problem as a conflict between information loss and information preservation, the analysis argues that both alternatives presuppose the continued admissibility of operator-defined information in regimes where the structural conditions required to define information may no longer hold. Within Informational Mechanics, information is defined only where admissible structure exists: stable distinctions, persistent identities, and reproducible correlations supported by operational comparability under disturbance. Under gravitational collapse and evaporation, these conditions fail. In such regimes, the operators required to define, track, or recover information cease to be physically implementable, rendering questions of loss or preservation physically undefined rather than false. This admissibility-based perspective reframes the black hole information paradox without introducing new dynamics, modifying quantum mechanics, or invoking observer-dependent ontologies. Formal unitarity may remain intact at the level of mathematical description, while the physical content of information-bearing correlations becomes inadmissible. The firewall paradox is treated as a direct corollary, arising from an inadmissible demand for simultaneous operator-defined access to interior, exterior, and horizon-spanning descriptions. The paper synthesizes and clarifies the distinct insights associated with Penrose, Hawking, and Susskind by showing that each applies within a different admissible regime. Black holes are treated as local admissibility boundaries, analogous to cosmological regime boundaries analyzed in Regime Condensation Cosmology (IM-D002). This work introduces no new dynamics, models, or experimental fits. Its contribution is disciplinary and structural: to clarify the regime conditions under which “information” is physically defined, and to reclassify the paradox as an inadmissible demand for simultaneous operator-defined access across incompatible regimes.