I really enjoyed Dr.Mathur’s lecture about blackholes and the research that Stephen Hawking had done on the subject matter. It was really interesting to learn more specifics about blackholes, such as how Hawking Radiation is created. I didn’t realize that Hawking Radiation was theorized to be created in the process where inside the event horizon if an electron is created, a positron can be created on the outside of the event horizon. It is these positrons that Hawking Radiation is composed of, as the electron is not seen since it is inside the event horizon and consequentially sucked towards the singularity of the black hole. I really enjoyed this lecture because how it gave a glimpse into how the more theoretical side of physics is verified to be correct. Usually, physics problems can be solved through arriving at certain solutions through which the math can be connected to reality. In the realm of physics where the math required can’t always be related to physical quantities, such as though imaginary numbers, problems get more complicated to solve as it is harder to verify solutions experimentally. Resultantly it was interesting to learn that a main way that theories are verified in areas like the physics of blackholes, is through just making sure the theory aligns with previous theories and overall is consistent with everything that has been learned and tested up to the current point in time.
Those were very interesting aspects of the talk, Anu, especially for those of us more familiar with experimental verification. Your interest in the talk was obvious and I was impressed by your questions as well. It will be interesting to see what direction you go with your final project in our class.