Theoretical thermal radiation predicted to be emitted by black holes due to quantum effects near the event horizon. This radiation causes black holes to slowly evaporate, with smaller black holes radiating away faster than larger ones.
Named after Stephen Hawking, who predicted this phenomenon in 1974 by applying quantum field theory to curved spacetime near black holes. The discovery revolutionized our understanding by showing that black holes have temperature and entropy, connecting thermodynamics with gravity.
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