mfb said:Larger black holes emit less Hawking radiation.
Keith said:That's cool I didn't know that. Why is that?
mfb said:They emit a black-body spectrum with a specific temperature, this temperature corresponds to a wavelength (for light), and that is proportional to their size.
Larger => longer wavelengths => colder => lower intensity of Hawking radiation
Looked it up here:Drakkith said:Well, if you think of a black hole as a perfect black body radiator, then a larger black hole has a lower temperature than a smaller black hole. All known black holes today absorb more energy from the cosmic background radiation, which has the spectrum of a black body at approximately 2.7 kelvin, than they emit in hawking radiation. So while the spectrum of a more massive black hole is that of a cooler body, I don't know how the emitted power scales with black hole mass and size.
The maximum size a black hole can reach is known as the maximum black hole mass. The limit is dictated by the Eddington limit, which is the point at which the outward radiation pressure from the black hole's accretion disk balances the inward force of gravity. This limit is approximately 50 billion solar masses.
No, a black hole cannot continue to grow forever. As a black hole consumes matter and increases in mass, it also increases in size. However, once it reaches the maximum black hole mass, the Eddington limit will prevent it from growing any larger.
Scientists determine the maximum black hole size by studying the behavior of black holes, particularly their accretion disks. They also use theoretical models and mathematical equations to calculate the Eddington limit and determine the maximum mass a black hole can reach.
Yes, there is a limit to the size of a supermassive black hole. Supermassive black holes are the largest type of black holes, with masses ranging from millions to billions of times the mass of the sun. However, they are still subject to the Eddington limit and cannot exceed the maximum black hole size.
No, a black hole cannot merge with another black hole to exceed the maximum size. When two black holes merge, their combined mass will still be subject to the Eddington limit, preventing it from exceeding the maximum black hole mass. Additionally, the merger process can also result in the loss of some mass, further limiting the maximum size of the resulting black hole.