String Theory Versus Black Hole Complementarity

Understand

It is argued that string theory on the Euclidean version of the Schwarzschild black hole -- the cigar geometry -- admits a zero mode that is localized at the tip of the cigar.

• The presence of this mode implies that in string theory, unlike in general relativity, the tip of the cigar is a special region.
• This is in tension with the Euclidean version of the black hole complementarity principle.
• We provide some qualitative arguments that link between this zero mode and the origin of the black hole entropy and firewall at the horizon.