Why Hawking radiation contains other particles besides photon?

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of Hawking radiation, which is a standard thermal spectrum that means it can only emit photons. The conversation then delves into the question of why Hawking radiation can also contain other particles, such as electron neutrinos, neutrons, and protons. It is explained that the terminology of "thermal" and "blackbody" radiation may be inconsistent in this context, as all types of particles can be emitted from a black hole due to the behavior of quantum fields near the event horizon. The conversation also explores the role of temperature and the mass-energy of particles in the probability of emission, and considers neutrinos as a potential candidate for interesting effects. Ultimately, it is concluded that the temperature of a black
  • #1
magnetar
83
0
Hawking radiation is standard thermal spectrum, thermal spectrum means it only can emit photon.

why Hawking radiation contains other particles?(electron neutrino neutron proton etc)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
'Thermal' does not mean only photons... What it means that you have a probability distribution for the energy of the particles, of the form of

[tex] \frac{1}{e^{E/T}-1} [/tex]

Black holes radiate every kind of particle because all quantum fields behave in a similar way near the event horizon -- and why wouldn't they.
 
Last edited:
  • #3
Magnetar: You make an interesting point insofar as "thermal" and "black body" Hawking radiation terminology seems inconsistent insofar as more than photons are involved.

I thought typical "thermal" and "blackbody" terminology usually refers to electromagnetic (photon) absorption. But post #2 correctly reflects my understanding that particles of all types are emitted from black holes. So I infer that the terminology applies to the spectrum rather than the entities carring the energy..
 
  • #4
magnetar said:
Hawking radiation is standard thermal spectrum, thermal spectrum means it only can emit photon.

why Hawking radiation contains other particles?(electron neutrino neutron proton etc)

Interesting question, magnetar. The Stefan-Boltzmann constant can be expressed purely in terms of kB, h and c, so that makes me think that there is nothing special about photons or electromagnetism here. If you look at the Feynman diagram for vacuum fluctuations to produce a pair of photons, there is no electron involved, and no vertex at which an electron's world-line enters, so I think it makes sense that the rate of radiation is independent of e.

Many of the other possibilities wouldn't seem to lead to any observable effects. For instance, electron-positron pairs could contribute, but there's no way you could observe them at a distance, because the positrons would annihilate with electrons before they could cross interstellar distances.

If I'm understanding what Clamtrox is saying, I think E would have to be the mass-energy of the particle here, not just its kinetic energy. So unless the black hole is extremely small and hot, exp(E/T) should be extremely large for a particle of any significant mass. So the probability of emitting a neutron, etc., would be negligible except maybe for a black hole that was in its final burst of radiation.

If I'm thinking straight this morning, I think the link between the basic thermodynamic expression 1/(exp(E/T)-1) for bosons and the standard blackbody curve requires counting the states of the photon field. For other types of bosons, e.g., bosons with mass or different spin, you'd have different statistics. In particular, you're not going to get emission that goes down to E=0 if the particle has nonzero rest mass, since E>=m. For fermions, you're going to get Fermi-Dirac statistics, with 1/(exp(E/T)+1).

Neutrinos seems like the most reasonable candidate for something interesting. But the temperature of a solar-mass black hole is so low that I would expect the rate of emission of neutrinos to be essentially zero, since they do have nonzero rest mass.
 
  • #5
It is seems that i had narrow sense about "thermal radiation". Thank you my friends^_^
 
  • #6
Magnetar: you and me both...I just never really thought about it until your question...
 

Related to Why Hawking radiation contains other particles besides photon?

1. Why does Hawking radiation contain particles other than photons?

Hawking radiation is a type of radiation that is emitted by black holes. It is the result of a process in which particles and antiparticles are created near the event horizon of the black hole. The antiparticle falls into the black hole, while the particle escapes as radiation. This process can happen with any type of particle, not just photons, which is why Hawking radiation contains a variety of particles.

2. What are the other particles that can be found in Hawking radiation?

In addition to photons, Hawking radiation can also contain gravitons, electrons, positrons, quarks, and other fundamental particles. The exact type of particles emitted depends on the size and properties of the black hole.

3. How can particles be created in the vacuum of space near a black hole?

In the vacuum of space, particle-antiparticle pairs can spontaneously appear and then quickly annihilate each other. However, near the event horizon of a black hole, one of the particles in the pair can fall into the black hole while the other escapes as radiation. This process is known as Hawking radiation.

4. Why is Hawking radiation important for understanding black holes?

Hawking radiation is important because it provides a way for black holes to lose mass and eventually evaporate. This was a major breakthrough in our understanding of black holes, as it was previously thought that nothing could escape a black hole's event horizon. Hawking radiation also has implications for the information paradox and the study of quantum gravity.

5. Can Hawking radiation be observed?

As of now, Hawking radiation has not been directly observed. This is because the amount of radiation emitted by a black hole is extremely small and difficult to detect. However, scientists are working on ways to indirectly detect Hawking radiation, such as looking for its effects on the cosmic microwave background radiation.

Similar threads

  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
11
Views
696
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
6
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
12
Views
3K
  • Cosmology
Replies
13
Views
2K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
12
Views
2K
  • Special and General Relativity
Replies
7
Views
2K
Back
Top