Hawking radiation is a groundbreaking theoretical prediction by physicist Stephen Hawking, which suggests that black holes are not completely black—they can actually emit thermal radiation due to quantum effects near their event horizons. This surprising idea combines principles from quantum mechanics, general relativity, and thermodynamics.
According to the theory, pairs of virtual particles constantly form near the event horizon. Normally, these pairs annihilate quickly, but if one particle falls into the black hole while the other escapes, the escaping particle becomes real radiation. From an outside perspective, the black hole appears to lose mass and energy—a process known as black hole evaporation.
Key features of Hawking radiation:
- It is extremely weak for large black holes but becomes intense for tiny black holes.
- Over time, this emission could cause a black hole to shrink and eventually vanish.
- It introduces black hole thermodynamics, including concepts like entropy and temperature of black holes.
Hawking radiation has not yet been observed, but it has deep implications for physics—especially regarding the information paradox, which questions whether information falling into a black hole is truly lost. It remains one of the most important links between quantum theory and gravity.