The Hawking wattage of a black hole

In summary, the radiant power of an ordinary black hole with an event horizon area of 1050 (2.6 x 10-20 square meters) is 1.04E-53 in units of Planck power. This is equivalent to 1.04E-103 watts when considering the whole ball. The total power is divided by the area of the ball to get the power per unit area. The luminosity of this black hole is essentially 10-53, which is a very small amount of power compared to the impressive 3.6E52 watts of Planck power.

What's the radiant power of a BH with surface area 10[sup]50[/sup]?

  • 0.36 nanowatts

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • 0.36 microwatts

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 0.36 milliwatts

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 0.36 watts

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1
  • #1
marcus
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Assume the surface area of the event horizon of an ordinary black hole is 1050,
ordinary meaning uncharged and nonrotating.
The hole glows with Hawking radiation----what is the radiant power?


I gave the event horizon area in natural units but it's easy to convert to square meters if you wish it that way.
The area 1050 is 2.6 x 10-20 square meters, or 2.6 square angstroms.

In natural units (c=G=hbar=k=1) the radiant power of a BH
with area A is simply

1/960A

So having the area 1050 means that the luminosity is essentially 10-53. To which of the four wattage figures given in the poll is this equivalent?
 
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  • #2
For some reason I'm getting 1.0110686E-103 for the radiant power...is this right?
 
  • #3
Originally posted by kyle_soule
For some reason I'm getting 1.0110686E-103 for the radiant power...is this right?

Could you have squared the area by mistake?

the area is E50 in Planck units
the formula for the overall power is 1/960A

so you should take reciprocal of 960E50
and it comes to about 1.04E-53 in units of Planck power

Planck power (c5/G) is an awesome amount of power.
It could supply the mass-energy of a whole galaxy in a few days.
You can easily calculate what it is in watts, if you look up the metric system values for G and c. It is around 3.6E52 watts---you can easily check this.

WAIT! Kyle you have calculated the radiant power PER UNIT AREA approximately correctly! The total power from the whole ball (namely 1.04E-53) divided by the area of the ball (namely E50) is indeed 1.04E-103.

Bravo Kyle! And thank you for responding.
 

1. What is the Hawking wattage of a black hole?

The Hawking wattage of a black hole refers to the amount of energy emitted by a black hole through Hawking radiation. This is a theoretical concept proposed by Stephen Hawking, which states that black holes emit radiation due to quantum effects near the event horizon.

2. How is the Hawking wattage of a black hole calculated?

The Hawking wattage of a black hole is calculated using the formula P = (c^4)/(15360πG^2M^2), where c is the speed of light, G is the gravitational constant, and M is the mass of the black hole. This formula is based on the temperature of the black hole and the surface area of its event horizon.

3. What is the significance of the Hawking wattage of a black hole?

The Hawking wattage of a black hole is significant because it helps us understand the thermodynamics of black holes and their behavior. It also has implications for the ultimate fate of black holes, as they are expected to slowly lose mass and energy through Hawking radiation over time.

4. Can the Hawking wattage of a black hole be measured?

Currently, the Hawking wattage of a black hole cannot be directly measured due to the extremely small amount of energy emitted. However, there are ongoing efforts to indirectly observe Hawking radiation and confirm its existence.

5. How does the Hawking wattage of a black hole affect its lifespan?

The Hawking wattage of a black hole contributes to its eventual evaporation. As a black hole loses mass and energy through Hawking radiation, its lifespan becomes shorter. This process is expected to accelerate as the black hole gets smaller, eventually leading to its complete evaporation.

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