Naked singularities cannot be observed (An information-theoretic approach to the cosmic censorship conjecture)

In this article we review some recent results obtained in the interplay between field theory in curved space-time and information theory, and explore some consequences. We shall explain how the Weyl tensor becomes responsible for the creation of quantum noise which, in turn, degrades a considerable fraction of the information which is optically transferred in a curved space-time. We conclude that causal connection between spacetime regions, although being a necessary condition for transmitting information between them, is by no means sufficient. This is because this quantum noise might preclude the observation of very distant objects in the Universe and even closer ones if it becomes very intense. We argue that naked singularities are very powerful sources of noise and, therefore, cannot be observed optically. This leads to the intriguing possibility that the 'no-hair' theorem might be more general than was thought before.