Work

Generalized second law for cosmology

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: We conjecture a novel generalized second law that can be applied in cosmology, regardless of whether an event horizon is present: the generalized entropy increases monotonically outside of certain hypersurfaces we call past Q-screens. A past Q-screen is foliated by surfaces whose generalized entropy (sum of area and entanglement entropy) is stationary along one future null direction and increasing along the other. We prove that our generalized second law holds in spacetimes obeying the quantum focusing conjecture. An analogous law applies to future Q-screens, which appear inside evaporating black holes and in collapsing regions.

Source: Physical review. D/Physical review. D.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.93.024025

Authors: Raphael Bousso, Netta Engelhardt

Institutions: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

Language: English

Topic: Black Holes and Theoretical Physics

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Foundational Questions Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara