Slide Shows | More Science

Fiber-Optic Event Horizon Mimics Black Hole [Slideshow]

Researchers hope to detect faint radiation emanating from a new laboratory version of a black hole event horizon

  • Share
  • Email
  •  6 of 7  
EVENT HORIZON
thumb: EVENT HORIZON

EVENT HORIZON

Researchers have reproduced an event horizon similar in principle to ones found around black holes by shining laser pulses down a microstructured, or microscopically patterned, optical fiber, shown here....[More]

SUPERCONTINUUM SPECTRUM
thumb: SUPERCONTINUUM SPECTRUM

SUPERCONTINUUM SPECTRUM

Detail of the broad spectrum, or supercontinuum, light output from a microstructured fiber used to create an analog of a black hole's event horizon. Dispersed by a prism and projected onto the screen, the light contains the full rainbow....[More]

OVER THE HORIZON
thumb: OVER THE HORIZON

OVER THE HORIZON

Experimental setup for measuring the shortening, or blue-shifting, of an infrared beam's wavelength at an event horizon in a spool of optical fiber (blue circle added for clarity)....[More]

PRISM
thumb: PRISM
PRISM The supercontinuum output of the microstructured fiber dispersed by the prism (right) onto the screen (left). The prism separates the colors of light. [Link to this slide]
Image courtesy of Chris Kuklewicz
thumb:

"FERRARI LASER"

To have any hope of detecting faint radiation emanating from an analog of a black hole event horizon in a new laser-based method, researchers will have to create short, high-intensity laser pulses shaped like a shark fin....[More]

HAWKING RADIATION
thumb: HAWKING RADIATION

HAWKING RADIATION

Hawking Radiation is the faint glow theorized by physicist Stephen Hawking to stream from a black hole due to pair creation, the simultaneous birth of twin particles of light, near the event horizon....[More]

MAKE YOUR OWN  WHITE  HOLE
thumb: MAKE YOUR OWN  WHITE  HOLE

MAKE YOUR OWN WHITE HOLE

Simulating the event horizon of a white holean insideout black hole that permits no light to enteris as simple as letting water from the tap pour onto a flat surface, as shown here....[More]

risk free title graphic

YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.

cover image
ADVERTISEMENT

4 Comments

Add Comment
View
  1. 1. maxolliver 03:40 AM 3/7/08

    According to Stephen Hawking a black hole shrinks because the radiation from a member of a pair of virtual particles escapes from the event horizon thus causing the black hole to loose mass. But wouldn't the other twin that fell through the event horizon into the black hole add mass to the black hole, therefore cancelling out the any mass radiated away by the twin?

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  2. 2. alphachapmtl 10:49 PM 3/8/08

    What is (piscine) particles?

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  3. 3. FredCassis 01:00 PM 3/12/08

    This I think is the perfect example of the superficial use of a foreign language by Americans who by doing so, want to or mean to add a "sophisticated" _regard_ to a subject of complicated interest; this is meant to add a feeling to the meaning also _here I suppose it refers to things or people doing many things & going in many directions at the same time like in a swimming pool -piscine-
    This is not meant as a criticism but at the contrary I wish here to encourage specially the learned American to acquire, in a lighter way mainly, a deeper use of French for general knowledge as well as closer interaction & communication, same as for the French to acquire a better knowledge & use of English in general.
    :-) Friendly Urs :-x
    Alfred.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  4. 4. JR Minkel 05:36 AM 3/14/08

    Hi, the "piscine" gag wasn't supposed to make it into the published story. It referred to the analogy of particles as fish swimming upstream. You know, like Pisces. I removed the reference, which was confusing.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
Leave this field empty

Add a Comment

You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmerican.com member to submit a comment.
Click one of the buttons below to register using an existing Social Account.
Advertisement

Email this Article

X
Scientific American MIND iPad

Tap into your MIND

Get Both Print & Tablet Editions for one low price!

Subscribe Now >>

X

Please Log In

Forgot: Password

X

Account Linking

Welcome, . Do you have an existing ScientificAmerican.com account?

Yes, please link my existing account with for quick, secure access.



Forgot Password?

No, I would like to create a new account with my profile information.

Create Account
X

Report Abuse

Are you sure?

X

Institutional Access

It has been identified that the institution you are trying to access this article from has institutional site license access to Scientific American on nature.com. To access this article in its entirety through site license access, click below.

Site license access
X

Error

X

Share this Article

X