New framework updates Stephen Hawking’s black hole thermodynamics
6 reported
Scientists have proposed a new method for describing black holes that addresses a limitation in Stephen Hawking's influential laws of black hole mechanics. The research, published in Physical Review Letters and led by Penn State physicist Abhay Ashtekar, introduces an updated approach to black hole thermodynamics that works even when black holes are changing over time. Hawking's original laws were formulated for black holes at equilibrium, but black holes constantly form, merge, and evaporate. The team's solution replaces the traditional event horizon with a "dynamical horizon," which is defined by the black hole's properties at a specific moment rather than relying on future events. The researchers say this could improve understanding of dynamic events such as black hole mergers and evaporation, including those detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration. The study was supported by the Penn State Atherton Professorship Program and the Penn State Eberly College of Science.
What’s reported
The research was published in Physical Review Letters and selected as an Editor's Suggestion.
The team was led by Abhay Ashtekar, Atherton University Professor and Evan Pugh Professor of Physics Emeritus at Penn State.
Co-authors include graduate students Daniel E. Paraizo and Jonathan Shu.
The new method introduces an entropy measure more closely connected to a black hole's spin and energy.
The approach uses a "dynamical horizon" instead of the traditional event horizon.
The research was supported by the Penn State Atherton Professorship Program and the Penn State Eberly College of Science.
Key figures
Abhay Ashtekar, Atherton University Professor and Evan Pugh Professor of Physics Emeritus at Penn State, leader of the research team
Daniel E. Paraizo, graduate student in physics at Penn State, author of the paper
Jonathan Shu, graduate student in physics at Penn State, author of the paper
Sources: ScienceDaily
