Thermal duality: nemesis of black holes?

This talk presents evidence supporting a conjecture that there are no black holes in M theory. We will show that a mechanism to prevent black hole formation is needed in 4 dimensions to make string theory a viable high energy model of quantum gravity. Black hole formation may be averted by a gravity regulation mechanism related to thermal duality. Such a mechanism is discussed for heterotic strings. This case is comparatively simple because these are pure string models (with no D branes) and have a simple, self-dual thermalon (Euclidean winding mode) sector. In this scenario, black holes are replaced by ‘hot holograms’ that form during gravitational collapse. The geometric conditions proposed for conversion to a high temperature hologram to occur, however are local and generic in dimension and could apply throughout M space. This idea can be applied to resolve the problems presented by the process of black hole evaporation, which appears to be inconsistent with quantum information theory. Whereas, in the conventional view, black holes are real and firewalls are probably a chimera, in the scenario proposed here that situation would be reversed.