Stephen Hawking Rethinks Black Hole Theory

http://www.iop.org/news/783



Black holes are often thought of as being regions of space into which matter and energy can fall, and disappear forever. In 1974, Stephen Hawking discovered that when one fused the ideas of quantum mechanics with those of general relativity, it was no longer true that black holes were completely black. They emitted radiation, now known as Hawking radiation. This radiation carried energy away from the black hole, which meant that the black hole would gradually shrink and then disappear in a final explosive outburst.

These ideas led to a fundamental difficulty, the information paradox, the resolution of which is to be revealed in Dublin. The basic problem is that black holes, as well as eating matter, also appear to eat quantum mechanical information. Yet the most fundamental laws of physics demand that this information be preserved as the universe evolves. The information paradox was explored and formalised by Hawking in 1975. Since then, many have tried to find a solution.

Whilst most physicists think that there must be a resolution of the paradox, nobody has really produced a believable explanation. In fact, seven years ago the issue prompted Hawking, together with Kip Thorne of Caltech, to make a wager against John Preskill also of Caltech, that the information swallowed by black holes could never be recovered.

Hawking has now conceded that he has lost the bet!

The way his new calculations work is to show that the event horizon, which is the surface of the black hole, has quantum fluctuations in it. These are the same uncertainties in position that were made famous by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and are central to quantum mechanics. The fluctuations gradually allow all the information inside the black hole to leak out, thus allowing us to form a consistent picture. The information paradox is now unravelled.

A complete description of this work will be published in professional journals and on the web in due course.

[fearnobush]

1. Wow what great scientific theory on Bush and the Media...

"The fluctuations gradually allow all the information (Truth) inside the black hole (Bu$h Admin) to leak out, thus allowing us to form a consistent picture. The information paradox is now unravelled.

I love it...

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[phantom power]

4. Yeah, what he said.

[GAspnes]

3. FR has an interesting take on this

On our worst day, DU makes more sense.

This was the *most* cogent comment in the string. DU is infinitely better.


Black holes are created by any item that exceeds the speed of light relative to when and where you are at, your time zone, if you will.

When you look out into space, and you see a black hole, you are looking up the exit pipe, so to speak, of an item that is departing from your frame of reference, at a speed exceeding that of light.

In a similar vein, what is called a collapsing star, is a star born anew in another time zone. While we watch it collapse, some guy in the other time zone is watching it appear and can't wait to name it for himself.

Intergalactic intellectual property trial lawyers are foaming at the bit and can't wait to profit from these disputes.


17 posted on 07/23/2004 12:45:01 AM CDT by First_Salute (May God save our democratic-republican government, from a government by judiciary.)