How Long Do Black Holes Last Before Vaporizing?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the duration before black holes vaporize, exploring theoretical aspects of black hole evaporation, the factors influencing this process, and comparisons with gravitational collapse. Participants engage with mathematical formulations and conceptual clarifications related to black holes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the time it takes for black holes to vaporize.
  • Another participant suggests that the evaporation time depends on factors such as the size of the black hole and the rate of incoming mass, providing a formula for evaporation time.
  • Janus presents a different formula for the evaporation time of a black hole based on its mass, indicating that the earlier formula applies specifically to a black hole of Planck mass.
  • A question is raised regarding the relationship between the evaporation time of a black hole and the time it takes for an object of the same mass to gravitationally collapse.
  • It is noted that black holes take an extremely long time to evaporate, potentially longer than the age of the universe, particularly for solar mass black holes.
  • Another participant emphasizes that the evaporation time and collapse time are not related, mentioning that most mass is not dense enough to collapse into a black hole.
  • One participant shares a link to a black hole calculator for those who may not wish to perform the calculations themselves.
  • Some participants express misconceptions about black holes, comparing them to nuclear explosions and discussing time dilation effects.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various viewpoints regarding the evaporation time of black holes and its dependence on different factors. There is no consensus on the relationship between black hole evaporation and gravitational collapse, and some misconceptions about black holes are clarified but not resolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention different formulas for black hole evaporation without resolving the assumptions or conditions under which these formulas apply. The discussion includes varying interpretations of black hole behavior and properties.

thequestioner
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how long do black holes last before they vaporize?
 
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That depends on a number of factors: The size of the black hole and how fast other stuff is falling into the black hole etc.

If you ignore incoming mass, you can use the formula

[tex]T_{evap} = 5120 \pi \sqrt{\frac{\hbar G}{c^5}}[/tex]

For example, a black hole the mass of the Sun would take ~2e67 years to evaporate.
 
Janus: That is the result for a black hole of the Planck mass. The generic result for a black hole of mass M is,
[tex]T_{\rm evap} = 5120 \pi \frac{ G^2 M^3}{\hbar c^4}[/tex]
 
Are the formula for the time that it takes for a BH to evaporate and for an object of same mass to gravitationally collapse alike , or would the latter give rise to BH that is expressed by aforementioned ^ formula ?
 
It takes a very long time. In fact, it will take way longer than the age of the universe before any black hole of a solar mass or more can actually radiate more energy than it absorbs from the environment.
 
Are the formula for the time that it takes for a BH to evaporate and for an object of same mass to gravitationally collapse alike ,

The evaporation time of a black hole and the time of 'collapse' of mass are not related. Most mass is not dense enough to 'collapse'...but before the end of the universe most mass may be consumed by black holes. In other words, a lot of mass may is likely to be consumed by existing black holes rather than form new black holes.
 
Chronos said:
It takes a very long time. In fact, it will take way longer than the age of the universe before any black hole of a solar mass or more can actually radiate more energy than it absorbs from the environment.

Naty1 said:
The evaporation time of a black hole and the time of 'collapse' of mass are not related. Most mass is not dense enough to 'collapse'...but before the end of the universe most mass may be consumed by black holes. In other words, a lot of mass may is likely to be consumed by existing black holes rather than form new black holes.

Thanks for the clarification.
 
This is something I learned today; I always thought that a black hole was actually an extremely large nuclear explosion in progress….
And due to the time dilation of a black hole, it would never come to a conclusion.
 
  • #10
rcttsoul2 said:
This is something I learned today; I always thought that a black hole was actually an extremely large nuclear explosion in progress….
And due to the time dilation of a black hole, it would never come to a conclusion.
That is not the case. A black hole is an object whose escape velocity exceeds the speed of light.
 

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