Firewalls vs. scrambling

Abstract

Recently we pointed out that the black hole interior operators can be reconstructed by using the Hayden-Preskill recovery protocols. Building on this observation, we propose a resolution of the firewall problem by presenting a state-independent reconstruction of interior operators. Our construction avoids the non-locality problem which plagued the “A = RB ” or “ER = EPR” proposals. We show that the gravitational backreaction by the infalling observer, who simply falls into a black hole, disentangles the outgoing mode from the early radiation. The infalling observer crosses the horizon smoothly and sees quantum entanglement between the outgoing mode and the interior mode which is distinct from the originally entangled qubit in the early radiation. Namely, quantum operation on the early radiation cannot influence the experience of the infalling observer since description of the interior mode does not involve the early radiation at all. We also argue that verification of quantum entanglement by the outside observer does not create a firewall. Instead it will perform the Hayden-Preskill recovery which saves an infalling observer from crossing the horizon.