Speaking of unscientific interpretations of black holes' event horizons and defying them, I had one of mine yesterday. I know it doesn't make sense, but I've been stuck on it, so I've got to ask, knowing well it's stupid. I need someone to tell me it's stupid.
Crazy option 1:
Is there any other means in which a body can escape after crossing the event horizon, other than Hawking radiation? I know it should be impossible - all trajectories inside an event horizon lead further inside the event horizon, you can't even be in orbit inside of it. But I only fully understood that for the case where there's zero acceleration on the black hole.
So, my question is, what happens if the black hole suddenly moves away? I am thinking of two black holes colliding - both of them experience grave acceleration due to enormous gravitational attraction, and while that cannot affect the trajectory of the objects inside the event horizon enough, it literally moves the event horizon, so is it possible for an object to suddenly happen to be outside it? I suspect that the answer is no, and I suspect that either the cause of the acceleration moves the trapped object far enough, or is the cause for the event horizon to extend further and keep the object trapped. But I am still thinking there's a way, and I want someone to tell me I am wrong.
My actual question is this: What happens if two black holes collide? Do both of them merge, now stationary at their centre of mass, combining all the matter that used to be inside either? Because that's the only possible outcome that doesn't involve event horizon violations, yet I am having trouble picturing it. I keep imagining the black holes passing through one another – or parts of them, going into scraping orbit around each other, or other scenarios that are, I imagine, very much impossible. So is that what happens? (I guess everyone in the vicinity dies, but that's not what I am asking.)
Crazy idea 2:
Can quantum tunnelling help something escape? Now quantum tunnelling is part of Hawking radiation, so yes, but that's obviously not what I mean. If a black hole is evaporating, the event horizon shrinks. So a particle tunnels out, reducing the event horizon. Is it possible for a
different particle, say a photon, that used to be inside to now lie outside? (I suspect if that's possible, it's part of Hawking radiation. So it would be doubly stupid question.
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In short, if we can't move the object, can we move the event horizon? (It sounds really silly when you put it that way.
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