  Event horizons and closed time-like curves cannot exist in the real world for
the simple reason that they are inconsistent with quantum mechanics. Following
ideas originated by Robert Laughlin, Pawel Mazur, Emil Mottola, David Santiago,
and the speaker it is now possible to describe in some detail what happens
physically when one approaches and crosses a region of space-time where
classical general relativity predicts there should be an infinite red shift
surface. This quantum critical physics provides a new perspective on a variety
of enigmatic astrophysical phenomena, including supernovae explosions, gamma
ray bursts, positron emission, and dark matter.
