PBS Space Time PBS Space Time

Building Black Holes in a Lab

Nov 4, 2026 · 17m

Summary

This episode explores analog black holes, physical systems like water vortices and Bose-Einstein condensates that mimic the behavior of real black holes. The host discusses how these lab-based analogs allow scientists to study phenomena such as Hawking radiation and superradiance, which are otherwise inaccessible. The discussion covers the history of the concept, from Bill Unruh’s original thought experiment to modern experiments measuring radiation temperature, while debating the philosophical limitations of using analogs to understand true spacetime physics.

Topics discussed

Sponsor: LinkedIn Hiring Pro Sponsor: Gatorlite The challenge of studying real black holes Introduction to analog black holes Unruh's blind fish and waterfall thought experiment Mathematical link between fluid dynamics and GR Water-based analog black hole setups Sponsor: LinkedIn Ads Sponsor: Gatorade Zero Sponsor: Bose Headphones Bathtub vortices and white holes Hawking radiation in analog systems Back reaction and energy sapping in vortices Superradiance and the Penrose process in water Bose-Einstein condensates as quantum analogs Sponsor: LinkedIn Hiring Pro Sponsor: Gatorade Zero Sponsor: Bose Headphones Measuring Hawking radiation temperature in BECs Philosophical debate on the validity of analogs Conclusion: The future of black hole experimentalists Sponsor: Bose Headphones Sponsor: Checkout.com Sponsor: Modafinil
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