Monday, November 10, 2025 at 3:30 pm

JILA auditorium

Noa E. Zilberman , Princeton University

"No Fireworks: Black Hole Radiation Builds Gradually"

Abstract:

This talk will explore how quantum radiation - known as Hawking radiation – emerges when a black hole forms in the gravitational collapse of a star.

While it has long been known that black holes emit energy, its precise origin has been debated. Over the decades, some researchers proposed that this energy is released directly from the collapsing star, producing a sudden burst that may potentially disrupt the collapse.

Using a somewhat idealized collapse model, we will see instead that the radiation emerges gradually from the region in the vicinity of the forming black hole (and not in a violent flash from the infalling matter).This resolves a long-standing question and corroborates the more conventional picture of Hawking radiation as a gradual, steady process that cannot interfere with black hole formation in gravitational collapse.

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