Phenomenological Encoding of Near Horizon Correlations via Regge Wheeler Wave Scattering at the Photon Sphere

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.