A black hole is a region where gravity is so strong that nothing---not even light---can escape. During the past 30 years, a remarkable relationship has been uncovered between the laws of black-hole physics and the ordinary laws of thermodynamics. In particular, as a result of quantum particle creation effects, a black hole radiates as a perfect black body and, in principle, would eventually completely "evaporate". This talk will review black-hole thermodynamics and discuss some unresolved open issues.

ANL Physics Division Colloquium Schedule