In a new pioneering study from the Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands, the universe will most probably decay in 10⁷⁸ years. This timeline is a good 15 years shorter than scientists originally predicted. The study authors—Heino Falcke, Michael Wondrak and Walter van Suijlekom—expanded upon their own 2023 research, which found a similar result. They combined a wicked blend of astrophysics, quantum physics, and mathematics to dig deeper into the nature of cosmic decay.
This new research is a game changer. It upends decades-long, if not centuries-long, assumptions about black holes and reorients what we know about the universe’s most deeply fundamental nature. The findings of the research provide further insight into Hawking radiation. The latter theoretical process is responsible for how black holes and other celestial objects “evaporate.” This fresh interpretation upends the entire way we interpret black hole activity. It provides new perspectives on how the universe might one day come to an end.
Insights into Hawking Radiation
Hawking radiation is a central factor in the slow evaporation of black holes and any similar astronomical body. Per this theory, black holes slowly leak radiation from quantum phenomena at their edges, known as event horizons. The researchers discovered that black holes possess no surface and can reabsorb some of their emitted radiation, which inhibits their decay rate.
Michael Wondrak, a postdoctoral researcher in UMD’s Department of Geographical Sciences and co-author of the study, explained the implications of this phenomenon. The research team wanted to get an idea of the impact of this radiation on a wide range of celestial bodies. They found that neutron stars and stellar black holes take about 10⁶⁷ years to decay through Hawking radiation, while white dwarf stars—the most persistent celestial bodies—are estimated to take around 10⁷⁸ years.
“By asking these kinds of questions and looking at extreme cases, we want to better understand the theory, and perhaps one day, we will unravel the mystery of Hawking radiation.” – Walter van Suijlekom
Challenging Established Theories
In addition to providing a major milestone for cosmic timelines, this study serves to debunk one of Albert Einstein’s most famous theories of relativity. Updated Dec 4, 2023, 5:11 p.m. Einstein believed that black holes could only increase in size with time but not shrink. Falcke, Wondrak, and van Suijlekom put into question the long-held assumption that black holes are eternal. They propose that black holes are not eternal, due to the influence of Hawking radiation.
Heino Falcke, one of the world’s preeminent experts on black holes, said he was amazed by their results. He is further the lead author of the study. The end of the universe comes far sooner than anyone anticipated. Unfortunately, that’s still going to take an absurdly long time to arrive,” he said. This opens up rather a paradigm shift in how scientists can and should develop theories concerning cosmic evolution, as well as the dynamics of black holes.
Implications for Cosmic Bodies
The decay timeline for these celestial bodies had to be determined by the researchers. Using similar assumptions they calculated the decay rate for the Moon. The mammalian organism, if solely subject to Hawking-like radiation, is expected to disintegrate in a phenomenal 10⁹⁰ years. These surprising findings illustrate the tremendous range in longevity between celestial phenomena and emphasize the astonishing complexity of the cycles of cosmic life.
The research was published on arXiv with DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2410.14734, making it accessible for further academic scrutiny and public discourse. Read Radboud University’s collaborative production to learn more about the cosmic collision between astrophysics and quantum physics. It calls on all of us to continue digging into the questions that shape the laws of our universe.