Why Does the Unruh-Hawking Model Precisely Predict a Thermal Radiation Spectrum?

[exponent137]

I have the following article for explanation of Hawking - Unruh radiation:
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/quant-ph/pdf/0401/0401170.pdf .
It is the most simple explanation of Hawking radiation until now.

Peoples try to find microscopic explanation of this, but, thermal properties of matter are not dependend of matter's precise micro-properties. And the model above gives macroscopically right properties.

So can anyone give explanation why formule above gives precisely thermal spectrum of radiation. Why at constant acceleration and not at some different example.

Thermal spectrum is very primary thing, so derivation above is still to long.

It is not question for me, which quantum gravity theory is OK, but why the semi-classical theory above gives precisely thermical spectrum.

 

[CarlB]

I loved the paper.

About 30 seconds thought suggests to me that the connection here is an example of the (mysterious) connection between quantum mechanics and statistics. That is, adding one hidden dimension and going from Minkowski space to Euclidean space turns a QFT calculation into a statistical mechanics problem (from the point of view of the generator function, if I recall the correct term).

My guess is that there is a statistical mechanical basis for QFT hiding out there somewhere. Uh, I should mention that the above has been written without benefit of my copy of Peskin & Schroeder, and it's not a subject that I think about often.

Carl

 

[LURCH]

That is an excellent paper.

Can you believe: I'm currently attending a community colledge, and my astronomy prof told us in the final week of class that Hawking radiation is basically the same thing as a Type-I supernova, only with a black hole in place of the dwarf star; the radiation released by the infall of material from the accretion disk! I said nothing; but I'm wondering if I should have.

 

[CarlB]

LURCH, always remember that everything humans do should be analyzed from the point of view of social science ove physical science.

Yes, you did the right thing.

Carl

 

[hellfire]

So can anyone give explanation why formule above gives precisely thermal spectrum of radiation. Why at constant acceleration and not at some different example.

A very interesting question. http://www.superstringtheory.com/blackh/blackh3a.html might help.