Quantum Aspects of Black Holes
August – December 2016
Starting with a review of the classical aspects of black holes, this course continues on to quantum aspects of black holes. We review the classical aspects of black hole thermodynamics, the derivation of Hawking radiation, and examine different formulations of the information paradox.
Towards the latter half of the course, we discuss some advanced topics, including black hole complementarity and the information paradox in AdS/CFT, which has led to proposals that include the firewall and alternatives like state-dependence of the black-hole interior.
Note added (2021): A record of these lectures is preserved for archival purposes. For a more up-to-date treatment of material covered in the last third of the course, which dealt with the black-hole information paradox, please see the course webpage for The Black Hole Information Paradox.
The lecture notes for the first two thirds of this course may also be useful as background material for the 2021 course.