Falling through the black hole horizon

Understand

We consider the fate of a small classical object, a "stick", as it falls through the horizon of a large black hole (BH).

• Classically, the equivalence principle dictates that the stick is affected by small tidal forces, and Hawking's quantum-mechanical model of BH evaporation makes essentially the same prediction.
• If, on the other hand, the BH horizon is surrounded by a "firewall", the stick will be consumed as it falls through.
• We have recently extended Hawking's model by taking into account the quantum fluctuations of the geometry and the classical back-reaction of the emitted particles.