The black hole information paradox arises from the apparent conflict between Hawking radiation and unitarity in quantum mechanics. The standard semi-classical treatment models the event horizon as a vacuum boundary, leading to thermal radiation and an apparent loss of information. In this work, we construct a framework in which the horizon is allowed to carry non-trivial quantum correlations, while preserving the leading-order Hawking result. We further identify the photon sphere as a dynamically significant region that mediates between near-horizon degrees of freedom and asymptotic observables. By introducing localized field modes near the photon sphere and an effective coupling to horizon modes, we show how state-dependent corrections arise in number operators, stress–energy observables, and entanglement measures. A simple toy model illustrates the mechanism explicitly, demonstrating how horizon correlations can imprint measurable deviations in the photon-sphere sector without disrupting the thermal baseline. The framework provides a semi-classical setting in which horizon correlations may influence observable radiation through photon-sphere dynamics, without altering the leading-order Hawking temperature or flux.
Yash Das (Sat,) studied this question.