Hawking Radiation and Black Hole Evaporation

[Andrew Abbass]

I've been trying to discover a qualitative description of Hawking Radiation and Black Hole evaporation and haven't been able to find one yet. I figured this board might offer some insight.

Can someone explain to me how a 'virtual' pair differs from a 'real' pair?

It seems to me that no matter what, virtual pair production should increase the mass of a black hole. The only alternative we thought of was a 'hole' in the Higgs Ocean that carried the mass/energy debt, but that doesn't explain why the mass and gravity bearing particle would escape as opposed to the 'negative mass and gravity' bearing particle in the virtual pair.

Could someone clear this up for me?

 

[Nugatory]

The confusing explanation you've heard is confusing because - even though it's widely repeated - it's not quite right. This one, by John Baez, is much closer to what's really going on: http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/BlackHoles/hawking.html