Question

Explain what Hawking radiation is, how it works, and what it does to black holes.

Answer 1

Hawking radiation is black-body radiation that is predicted to be released by black holes, due to quantum effects near the event horizon.

Hawking radiation reduces the mass and rotational energy of black holes and is therefore also known as black hole evaporation. Because of this, black holes that do not gain mass through other means are expected to shrink and ultimately vanish. Micro black holes are predicted to be larger emitters of radiation than more massive black holes and should thus shrink and dissipate faster.