Scientists Predict the Exact Date the Universe Will End Using Stephen Hawking’s Radiation Theory
The universe contains humans, the solar system, several other galaxies, and many other extraterrestrial phenomena. After years of examination, researchers had concluded that this universe would draw curtains in 10^1100 years. New examinations, though, indicate that the assertion may not be correct, with the real time being much less, though still distant, according to Phys.org. Findings regarding these changed calculations have been published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.
Previous examinations conducted by black hole expert Heino Falcke, quantum physicist Michael Wondrak, and mathematician Walter van Suijlekom showcased that not only black holes but also other objects can evaporate through a process similar to Hawking radiation. The only condition is that they should have a gravitational field. Building on this research, the same set of experts started to calculate how long several prominent bodies take to evaporate through this process.
The process was defined by physicist Stephen Hawking, according to Universe Today. The evaporation supposedly happens because of developments near the black hole's event horizon. Quantum effects facilitate particles near the horizon to organize themselves into pairs. One particle from this pair falls into the black hole, while the other escapes as radiation. This whole phenomenon eventually leads to the evaporation of the entire black hole. The 2023 study by the trio concluded that even a white dwarf star could be evaporated by this process.
The three experts in the present study calculated the time that would be taken by white dwarf stars to evaporate through Hawking-like radiation. The analysis was valuable because, for a long time, white dwarf stars have been considered the most enduring objects of the universe. This implies that these stars will possibly be the last objects to survive in the universe. Researchers concluded that white dwarf stars would vanish from the universe in approximately 10^78 years, through the aforementioned radiation. This made researchers speculate that the universe will also vanish after this time. Though much earlier than the previous assertion, it is still a fair bit away.
Researchers also found the time taken by other extraterrestrial objects to evaporate. The team noted that the time taken to evaporate by an object to evaporate was directly proportional to its density. They found that both neutron stars and stellar black holes took the same time to evaporate, possibly because of similar densities. On the contrary, the trio noted that even though having a gravitational field was a prerequisite, the evaporation time was not dependent on gravitational strength. The study further showcases that even the moon and humans will eventually decay due to Hawking radiation.
For this exercise, the trio brought together their knowledge of astrophysics, quantum physics, and mathematics, according to Phys.org. The team clarified that the calculation indicates the time it would take for objects to disappear through Hawking radiation. There are other processes in play in the universe that could accelerate the process. Such calculations showcase that the universe is still not in the grasp of humans, and further examination could reveal many deep secrets.