Changes

Various theories have been proposed for dealing with this.  They generally posit that the event horizon of a black hole is not the smooth, featureless black surface that classical general relativity would suggest, but is somehow different.

Various theories have been proposed for dealing with this.  They generally posit that the event horizon of a black hole is not the smooth, featureless black surface that classical general relativity would suggest, but is somehow different.

It needs to be pointed out that whatever unusual features (such as the "firewall") exist, they exist only out to the "Planck length" above the event horizon.  The Planck length is 1.6x10⁻³⁵ meters, which is about 10⁻²⁰ times the diameter of a proton.  So ordinary quantum mechanics and general relativity work together smoothly down to distances much smaller than atomic or nuclear sizes.

It needs to be pointed out that whatever unusual features (such as the "firewall") exist, they exist only out to the "Planck length" above the event horizon.  The Planck length is 1.6 x 10⁻³⁵ meters, which is about 10⁻²⁰ times the diameter of a proton.  So ordinary quantum mechanics and general relativity work together smoothly down to distances much smaller than atomic or nuclear sizes.

While a theoretical firewall has been promoted as a way of salvaging the [[Theory of Relativity]], modern refinements of the firewall require rejecting the Theory of Relativity.

While a theoretical firewall has been promoted as a way of salvaging the [[Theory of Relativity]], modern refinements of the firewall require rejecting the Theory of Relativity.