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Laser Light Re-creates 'Black Holes' in the Lab
yodasz writes "The New Scientist reports that a team of researchers from the UK were able to recreate a black hole's event horizon in the lab by firing a laser pulse down an optical fibre. The team's observations confirm predictions made by cosmologists and now they are trying to prove Hawking's hypothesis of escaping particles, dubbed Hawking radiation. 'The first pulse distorts the optical properties of the fibre simply by traveling through it. This distortion forces the speedy probe wave to slow down dramatically when it catches up with the slower pulse and tries to move through it. In fact, the probe wave becomes trapped and can never overtake the pulse's leading edge, which effectively becomes a black hole event horizon, beyond which light cannot escape.'"
As long as they didn't create a real black hole.
That would suck.
No Nyarlathotep, No Chaos
Know Nyarlathotep, Know Chaos
That sounds safe, to reproduce the effects of the point at which all matter collapses into a virtual singularity. Where were they testing this again? Somewhere on Earth? Alrighty then... Taxi!
stuff |
Step 1: Fire laser into one end of optical fiber
Step 2: Hold other end up to eye and from that day on, "see" *black holes* like, everywhere
Step 4: PROFIT from higher scientific research? You must be joking...
Bret: Pretty scrawny black hole. It must be hungry.
Cubert: Duh! Black holes don't need food.
Bret: Neither do nerds!
Move on, nothing to be seen here ...
-- Cave quid dicis, quando, et cui
could someone give me a little prep on this article.. A paragraph or two on how the universe works would be good. cheers. /obligatory
CommentBot 0.7a running with args "-module irritate,disagree -target random"
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
It would blow Hawking Radiation
"I call it a Hawking Hole".
If I knew the wedgies I gave you back in 6th grade would have resulted in this . . . I might have taken a moments pause.
Curiosity was framed, Ignorance killed the cat.
I've heard it explained as a cosmological censor to block out the horrible violations of natural law that occur inside from the rest of the universe, always amused me
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Evelyn Beatrice Hall, re Voltaire
God made the universe 6,000 years ago. If you do not worship him and subjugate yourself to his will, he will torture you forever. He just put in things like dinosaur bones and black holes to mess with your head, to get you to disbelieve in him, so that he can torture you forever without feeling guilty about it.
He's kinda messed up because he was alone for like, eternity, until he made up some friends in his head, but he's incapable of imagining anything that is actually his peer, so he secretly hates us all for not providing the companionship he needs. That is how the universe works.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Why did you insert the...dramatic pause? Does it help...explain the difference?
It is called a shoebox, and with the lid closed no light can escape. Why is this news?
Fair point, when you put it like that... ...but at least we aren't breeding creationists.
"... and more and more now there are all kinds of electronic goodies available" -- Pink Floyd 1972
Everybody is an expert!