In the News (how could I have missed this one ! .. dated Sept 28):
Physicists may have observed Hawking radiation for the first time
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In 1974, Stephen Hawking predicted that black holes emit thermal radiation due to quantum effects, which causes the black holes to lose mass and perhaps ultimately vanish. But despite numerous attempts to observe Hawking Radiation (HR), astronomers have so far detected no sign of it. Now, however, a team of scientists from Italy claims to have observed something that looks very much like Hawking radiation from an event hole horizon they created in the lab.
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They created something called a "Refractive Index Perturbation" (RIP) in a dielectric substance, in which light can change the substance's refractive index. Interestingly, the RIP exhibited two event horizons (a black hole horizon and a white hole horizon). They also detected an unexpected photon emission which they've concluded was an indication of HR induced by the lab analogue of a black hole.
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With these observations, the physicists have shown that it's possible to investigate the physics of black hole evaporation in other, more accessible systems. If future experiments confirm that this is Hawking radiation, the results could have implications on everything from the fate of black holes to how the universe may end.
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I wonder whether they were wearing a 'Fez' hat during the observations ?
Cheers