Science and Space Research News 2016: Simulated Black Hole Experiment Backs Stephen Hawking Theories
Popular culture might depict black holes as these behemoth, whirlpool-like galaxy sinks where the gravitational pull is so massive that nothing, not even light, can escape beyond the event horizon (anybody who watched Interstellar, of course, enjoyed the privilege of being slightly more knowledgeable about them than the other guy).
But long ago, prominent physicians Stephen Hawking and Jacob Bernstein theorized that black holes weren't actually black. Instead, they emitted energy, more commonly known as the Hawking radiation, that caused them to shrink and eventually, disappear. But while the theory greatly shook the scientific field, it has never been proven - well, until now.
After seven years, Jeff Steinhauer of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology simulated an analogue black hole through Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC, or supercooled state of matter) in his laboratory that seemed to emit the "Hawking radiation."
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How he accomplished his experiment
Published in Nature Physics, Steinhauer expressed his hopes that his paper can verify Hawking's calculations.
Using a supercooled state of matter called Bose-Einstein condensates, Steinhauer simulated a black hole and created an event horizon using lasers to trap atoms in one place to move slowly, but pours out of the fringe faster than the speed of sound (measured in phonons).
What does this mean? The phonons particles that try to fight against the flow can be construed as similar to Hawking radiation photons (light particles).
A key finding in the study is that these atoms were "entangled," or linked with partner atoms, which greatly resonates with the Hawking radiation theory and verifies its quantum nature.
Public reception to the project
While the findings are superb, the scientific community cautioned readers that the paper might be incomplete. It was unable to account for many variables such as the nature of the medium used (BEC), or how accurately it can reflect an actual black hole that deals with photons.
According to Steinhauer, the BEC is the coldest possible superfluid, which is a little above absolute zero (0 Kelvin), which will allow the observer to see the effects of quantum entanglement.
Silke Weinfurtner, a professor from the University of Nottingham, acknowledged that the experiment is promising, but it does need some room for doubt. It needs more experiments to prove that the Hawking radiation is a quantum effect.
If proven correct, Steinhauer's experiment could help solve some intricate scientific dilemma such as the black hole information paradox. It can also aid in uniting quantum physics with the theory of gravity.
