Revisiting Hawking Radiation: New Research Confirms Evaporation of Black Holes and Large Cosmic Objects

New research conducted by Michael Wondrak, Walter van Suijlekom, and Heino Falcke from Radboud University confirms Stephen Hawking's theory about black holes, albeit with a twist. While Hawking's radiation suggests that black holes will eventually evaporate, the study reveals that the event horizon isn't as crucial as once thought. Instead, gravity and spacetime curvature contribute to this radiation, implying that all large cosmic objects, such as remnants of stars, will ultimately evaporate too.

Stephen Hawking, by combining quantum physics with Einstein's theory of gravity, proposed that particle-antiparticle pairs spontaneously form and annihilate near the event horizon of a black hole. Occasionally, one particle falls into the black hole, allowing the other to escape, resulting in "Hawking radiation."

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Current cosmological theories suggest that the universe's expansion will separate galaxies, leaving no energy for stars or life forms. Hawking believed this would lead to the gradual evaporation of black holes due to his radiation.

The Radboud University researchers revisited this process to determine the importance of an event horizon. They combined physics, astronomy, and mathematics to explore particle pair creation around black holes. The study revealed that particles can form beyond the event horizon, signifying a new type of radiation in addition to Hawking radiation.

The curvature of spacetime beyond a black hole significantly impacts radiation creation. Previously, it was thought that radiation was impossible without an event horizon. However, this research indicates that objects without event horizons, such as dead star remnants and other large cosmic objects, also emit this radiation. Over an immense timeframe, this would lead to the evaporation of all objects in the universe, transforming our understanding of Hawking radiation and the cosmos' distant future.

This study was published on June 2 in the American Physical Society's (APS) Physical Review Letters.

References: Radboud University