Extremal black hole

Black hole thermodynamics

Computer science

Theoretical physics

Quantum mechanics

Rotating black hole

Black brane

Entropy (arrow of time)

Statistical physics

White hole

Routing (electronic design automation)

Black hole (networking)

Link-state routing protocol

Angular momentum

Routing protocol

Black hole complementarity

Physics

Computer network

Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields

There are a number of similarities between black-hole physics and thermodynamics. Most striking is the similarity in the behaviors of black-hole area and of entropy: Both quantities tend to increase irreversibly. In this paper we make this similarity the basis of a thermodynamic approach to black-hole physics. After a brief review of the elements of the theory of information, we discuss black-hole physics from the point of view of information theory. We show that it is natural to introduce the concept of black-hole entropy as the measure of information about a black-hole interior which is inaccessible to an exterior observer. Considerations of simplicity and consistency, and dimensional arguments indicate that the black-hole entropy is equal to the ratio of the black-hole area to the square of the Planck length times a dimensionless constant of order unity. A different approach making use of the specific properties of Kerr black holes and of concepts from information theory leads to the same conclusion, and s...

Black Holes and Entropy