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First "Observation" of Hawking Radiation

Posted by kdawson on from the simulation-or-experiment dept.

KentuckyFC writes "Italian physicists are claiming the first observation of Hawking radiation, but not from a black hole. Instead they've spotted it streaming from a sonic horizon in a Bose Einstein Condensate (abstract on the arXiv). That's consistent with previous predictions but they're claiming the 'first' even though the experiment was only a numerical simulation. Does that really count?"

6 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe they read /. by JeepFanatic · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... and they wanted to get First Post?

  2. Doesn't Count by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does that really count?
    No, no it does not.

    A numerical model is little more than a highly specific and round off error prone implementation of existing analytical results. All these guys have done, at most, is shown the correctness of Hawking's analysis. If that.
    --
    May the Maths Be with you!
  3. Re:Only numerical simulation by Thanshin · · Score: 5, Funny

    That accurately describes about 90% of theoretical physics doesn't it? Yes, the other 10% actually test empirically all their theories. They just keep the TP name because chicks dig it.
  4. What an interesting question by idontgno · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...though the experiment was only a numerical simulation. Does that really count?

    If so, then many slashdotters are no longer virgins.

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    Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
  5. Slightly OT: Unruh effect by TeknoHog · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My first thought from the headline was Unruh effect. It's a kind of Hawking radiation you can get in a particle accelerator. It just happens that with black holes, the acceleration is due to gravity, but other sources of acceleration also work. There are huge decelerations from c to nearly 0 at heavy ion collisions, for example.

    I first heard of the effect when some fellow physicists were considering the idea of tiny black holes created in particle physics experiments. It turned out that the presence of Hawking-like radiation doesn't necessarily mean a black hole.

    Well, it also turns out that this has nothing directly to do with the article, but might be +i, interesting nevertheless.

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  6. Shenanigans! by multimediavt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm sorry, but I'm with the "no way this counts" camp. Theories have to be tested in the physical world to be proved. Theoretical physics included folks. That's why we have supercolliders and Z-machines, duh! Numerical analysis can help predict physical behavior but it is not law until it is proved in the real world. Sorry guys.