“It’s a pity that nobody has found an exploding black hole. If they had, I would have won a Nobel prize.”
- January 8, 1942 – March 14, 2018
- British
- Theoretical physicist, science writer
- Announced the black hole singularity theorem and Hawking radiation, and contributed to the popularization of science with his book “Talking about the Universe”
Quote
“It’s a pity that nobody has found an exploding black hole. If they had, I would have won a Nobel prize.”
Explanation
In this humorous and self-deprecating quote, Stephen Hawking refers to an idea from his own research in theoretical physics: the concept of an exploding black hole. The notion of black holes, regions in space where gravity is so intense that not even light can escape, was famously proposed by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. However, Hawking contributed to a new understanding of black holes with his Hawking radiation theory in 1974. He theorized that black holes could emit radiation due to quantum mechanical effects near the event horizon, a phenomenon that suggests black holes could lose mass and eventually evaporate over time. If this radiation were significant enough, it could lead to a black hole’s eventual explosion, or “evaporation,” making the discovery of such an event a monumental scientific breakthrough.
However, despite Hawking’s prediction, no black hole has yet been observed to explode in this way. This is largely due to the fact that the process is extremely slow, especially for larger black holes. In practical terms, the black holes we observe are far too massive for their evaporation to be detectable within the current limits of our technology and lifespan. Nevertheless, had such an exploding black hole been discovered, it would have been a profound confirmation of Hawking’s work and a likely contender for the Nobel Prize.
The quote also reflects Hawking’s characteristic blend of humility and wit. While he jokes about missing out on the Nobel Prize, his contribution to theoretical physics, especially the prediction of Hawking radiation, remains one of the most groundbreaking ideas in the field. It highlights his role in shaping our understanding of black holes, quantum mechanics, and the intersection of these two realms. Despite the absence of an actual “exploding black hole,” Hawking’s legacy is cemented by his innovative ideas and influence on modern physics, regardless of whether he received the Nobel Prize.
