Evaporation of a Black Hole

A quantum process by which a black hole slowly loses mass and eventually disappears, predicted by Stephen Hawking. Contrary to classical physics, which states that nothing can escape a black hole, quantum theory allows for pairs of "virtual particles" to spontaneously form near the event horizon. Occasionally, one particle falls in while the other escapes, becoming real. This escaping stream is known as Hawking Radiation. To conserve energy, the particle that falls in must have negative energy, thereby reducing the black hole's mass. This process is negligible for large black holes but accelerates as the hole shrinks, leading to a final, theoretical explosive evaporation. This mechanism links gravity, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics, suggesting black holes have a temperature and entropy.