At a Glance
- A new study by Dutch scientists has found that cosmic objects like white dwarfs and neutron stars will evaporate much faster than previously believed due to a Hawking-like radiation process.
- The research shows that white dwarfs may evaporate in around 1078 years, significantly less than the earlier estimate of 10110 years, revising the expected decay timeline of the universe.
- Neutron stars and black holes were shown to decay at nearly the same rate, around 1067 years, because black holes partially reabsorb their radiation due to the absence of a surface.
- The team also calculated that objects like the Moon and humans would evaporate in roughly 1090 years, highlighting the universal application of this quantum radiation effect.
- These findings reshape our understanding of long-term cosmic evolution and offer new directions for studying quantum effects in astrophysics.
In a new study, a team of Dutch scientists has calculated the timescale for the evaporation of cosmic objects, revealing that the universe is decaying much faster than previously thought. Researchers from Radboud University in the Netherlands, led by black hole expert Heino Falcke, quantum physicist Michael Wondrak, and mathematician Walter van Suijlekom, have found that stellar remnants such as white dwarfs and neutron stars will dissolve through a process similar to Hawking radiation much sooner than earlier predictions suggested. Their study, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, offers new insights into the universe’s fate.
Hawking radiation, first proposed by physicist Stephen Hawking in 1975, suggests that black holes emit radiation due to quantum effects near their event horizons. This radiation causes black holes to slowly lose mass over time, eventually leading to their “evaporation.” The new study builds on this concept, showing that black holes and other dense cosmic objects like neutron stars and white dwarfs undergo a similar process. The researchers calculated that, under ideal conditions, white dwarfs will take around 1078 years to evaporate, significantly shorter than the previously estimated 10110 years.
Interestingly, the study also showed that neutron stars and black holes decay at almost identical rates, with both objects requiring approximately 1067 years to evaporate entirely. This was surprising because black holes are known for their intense gravitational fields, which should theoretically cause them to evaporate faster than neutron stars. However, the absence of a surface on black holes leads to them reabsorbing some of their radiation, slowing the evaporation process.
The team’s findings also extended to other objects, such as the Moon and even humans, which, according to their calculations, would take about 1090 years to evaporate through the same Hawking-like radiation process. While these numbers are mind-bogglingly long, the research underscores the importance of studying cosmic decay to understand the universe’s ultimate fate better. This groundbreaking work advances our knowledge of quantum physics and astrophysics and paves the way for future research in both fields.
References
- Netherlands Research School for Astronomy. (2025, May 12). Universe expected to decay in 1078 years, much sooner than previously thought. Phys.Org; Netherlands Research School for Astronomy. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-universe-decay-years-sooner-previously.html
- Falcke, H., Wondrak, M. F., & Van Suijlekom, W. D. (2025). An upper limit to the lifetime of stellar remnants from gravitational pair production. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2025(05), 023. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2025/05/023
