Origin of the blackhole information paradox

Abstract: It is argued that the blackhole information paradox originates from treating the blackhole geometry as strictly classical. It is further argued that the theory of quantum fields in a classical curved space with a horizon is an ill posed problem. If the geometry is allowed to fluctuate quantum mechanically, then the horizon effectively disappears. The sharp horizon emerges only in the classical limit when the ratio of the Compton wavelength of the black hole to its Schwarzschild radius vanishes. The region of strong gravity that develops when matter collapses to form the blackhole remains visible to the whole of spacetime and has to be described by a microscopic theory of strong gravity. The arguments imply that the information paradox is demoted from a paradox involving fundamental principles of physics to the problem of describing how matter at the highest densities gravitates.