“Only black holes of very low mass would emit a significant amount of radiation.”
- 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
“Only black holes of very low mass would emit a significant amount of radiation.”
Explanation
This quote refers to Hawking radiation, a theoretical prediction made by Stephen Hawking in 1974, which suggests that black holes are not completely black but emit radiation due to quantum effects near the event horizon. The emission of this radiation arises from particle-antiparticle pairs that spontaneously form in the vacuum of space. One of these particles can fall into the black hole, while the other escapes into space, resulting in the black hole losing mass over time.
Hawking’s statement points out that the amount of radiation emitted by a black hole depends heavily on its mass. Smaller black holes, especially those with very low mass, emit much more radiation compared to larger black holes. This is because the temperature of the radiation is inversely proportional to the mass of the black hole: the smaller the black hole, the higher its temperature and, thus, the more intense the radiation. In fact, the smallest black holes (those with masses close to the Planck mass) would emit significant radiation, potentially even evaporating quickly. Larger black holes, such as those found at the centers of galaxies, emit radiation at a much lower rate, which is virtually undetectable.
The implications of Hawking’s discovery have had profound effects on both theoretical physics and our understanding of black holes. It led to what is known as the information paradox—the question of what happens to information that falls into a black hole, given that it seems to be lost when the black hole evaporates. This has been a central problem in discussions about quantum gravity and the nature of space-time, pushing scientists to explore deeper connections between quantum mechanics, general relativity, and thermodynamics.
