The international “Hawking Radiation Conference", held at KTH Royal Institute of Technology this week, bringing together the world’s leading researchers in cosmology and theoretical physics, is organised by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and hosted by Nordita, the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics at Stockholm University and KTH. The best known participant is of course Professor Stephen Hawking at the University of Cambridge and author of numerous bestselling books about space.
In connection to the conference, a public science lecture with Stephen Hawking was organised at Stockholm Waterfront Congress Center on Monday evening. Tickets for the 3000 seats were quickly sold out earlier this summer.
Standing ovations
Professor Hawking was welcomed by a standing ovation when he entered the lecture hall in his permobil power chair. He started by giving an overview of how research has concluded that there should be existence of black holes in the universe and the calculations behind these theories which have crucial importance for physics and astronomy; an area where Hawking is perhaps probably the foremost researcher. However, Professor Hawking has not yet received a Nobel Prize.
“If some researchers would find a black hole, I will get a Nobel Prize”, he noted.
Hopefully the CERN Particle accelerator in Switzerland will be able to find proof for the existence of black holes.
Passages to alternative worlds
Professor Hawking talked about alternative worlds and black holes as passages to them.
“But you couldn’t come back to our universe. So although I’m keen on space flight, I’m not going to try that”, he said which made the audience burst into laughter.
During the conference week, Professor Hawking will present new theories which shows that black holes are not "as black" as believed so far. Matter that fall into black holes is not destroyed but is rather preserved in another universe.
“If you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up. There’s a way out,” was his concluding message to the audience.
Conference until Saturday
Earlier in the morning, the "Hawking Radiation Conference", hosted by Nordita, had been inaugurated at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology by the conference organiser Professor Laura Mersini-Houghton at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, together with the President of KTH and the Vice-Chancellor of Stockholm University.
More information about the conference
Nordita: www.nordita.org/hawkingradiation
Please also read “Hawking: information lost in black holes could be stored in alternate universes” at the Stockholm Technology Blog and Hawking offers new solution to black hole mystery.