Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Complex-time singularities of thermal correlators carry imprints of black hole interiors. We investigate their microscopic origin in matrix quantum mechanics at high temperature, where the dynamics becomes semi-classical. We introduce a complex-time scattering kernel that encodes these singularities and makes their finite-$N$ resolution accessible to numerics. Studying both integrable and chaotic models, we find evidence for a smoothing scale $Δt\sim N^{-1/2}$, suggesting that the resolution is due to quantum fluctuations of D-branes. This scattering picture provides a starting point for probing the black hole interior beyond a classical geometric description.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institutions: Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223673590