Why does hawking radiation in black holes slowly increase?

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of negative mass particles that appear and disappear near a black hole. The positive mass particles can escape the event horizon while the negative mass ones fall into the black hole, causing it to lose energy. However, as the black hole becomes smaller, the process speeds up. The speakers also mention that the commonly described picture of this phenomenon is not entirely accurate and suggest reading Hawking's original papers for a better explanation.
  • #1
victorhugo
127
5
First, what are these 'particles' that appear with their negative mass counterpart and suddenly disappear very quickly and why do they do that?

Now, I know the positive mass ones are allowed to escape the event horizon while the negative mass doesn't, thus fall into the black hole, but how does the negative mass one cause the black hole to lose energy?
is the negative mass particle just an "anti-energy" that sucks in whatever is inside the black hole?

and most importantly, why does this get faster and faster as the black hole becomes smaller? All I can see is that there is less surface area for the black hole to pull in and leave out these things and thus it would slow down.

Thank you!
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
  • #2
The picture you describe is not what happens. Hawking says so in his paper. It's a way to get comfortable with the idea, but you cannot draw conclusions from it.
 
  • #3
Vanadium 50 said:
The picture you describe is not what happens. Hawking says so in his paper. It's a way to get comfortable with the idea, but you cannot draw conclusions from it.
Everywhere I've looked they give this same similar explanation. Where can I find a better explanation of what actually happens?
 
  • #4
Hawking's original papers. Nature 248, 30 (1974) and Commun. Math. Phys. 43, 199 (1975)
 

1. What is Hawking radiation?

Hawking radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation that is theorized to be emitted from black holes. It is named after the physicist Stephen Hawking, who first proposed its existence in 1974.

2. Why does Hawking radiation occur in black holes?

Hawking radiation is a result of the quantum effects that occur near the event horizon of a black hole. These effects cause particles to be created and annihilated, with one particle escaping the black hole as radiation while the other falls back into the black hole.

3. How does Hawking radiation affect black holes?

Hawking radiation causes black holes to slowly lose mass over time. As particles are emitted, the black hole's mass decreases, which in turn decreases its gravitational pull. This process is known as black hole evaporation.

4. Does Hawking radiation always increase in black holes?

No, Hawking radiation does not always increase in black holes. The rate at which a black hole emits Hawking radiation depends on its size - smaller black holes emit radiation at a faster rate, while larger black holes emit radiation at a slower rate. Ultimately, all black holes are expected to completely evaporate over time.

5. Can Hawking radiation be observed?

Currently, Hawking radiation has not been directly observed in black holes. This is because the radiation is very weak and difficult to detect. However, scientists have observed similar effects in other systems, such as the Unruh effect, which supports the existence of Hawking radiation.

Similar threads

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
11
Views
280
Replies
4
Views
581
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
3
Views
1K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
10
Views
1K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
9
Views
1K
Back
Top