Abstract
In his PhD dissertation in the early 1970s, the Mexican-Israeli theoretical physicist Jacob Bekenstein developed the thermodynamics of black holes using a generalized version of the second law of thermodynamics. This work made it possible for physicists to describe and analyze black holes using information-theoretical concepts. It also helped to transform information theory into a fundamental and foundational concept in theoretical physics. The story of Bekenstein's work-which was initially opposed by many scientists, including Stephen Hawking-highlights the transformation within physics towards an information-oriented scientific mode of theorizing. This "informational turn" amounted to a mild-mannered revolution within physics, revolutionary without being rebellious.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 69-97 |
| Number of pages | 29 |
| Journal | Physics in Perspective |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2014 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:I would like to thank Professor Jacob Bekenstein for allowing me to meet with him and learn first-hand about his work in black hole thermodynamics, its development and ramifications. I would also like to thank Professor Silvan S. Schweber for the constant support and for suffering through the various drafts. This work was made possible thanks to the support of the Edelstein Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Funding
I would like to thank Professor Jacob Bekenstein for allowing me to meet with him and learn first-hand about his work in black hole thermodynamics, its development and ramifications. I would also like to thank Professor Silvan S. Schweber for the constant support and for suffering through the various drafts. This work was made possible thanks to the support of the Edelstein Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Edelstein Center, Hebrew University |
Keywords
- Black holes
- Jacob Bekenstein
- John Wheeler
- Maxwell's demon
- Stephen Hawking
- black hole thermodynamics
- generalized second law
- information bound
- information entropy
- information theory
- quantum information theory
- thermodynamics