The fate of the universe is closely related to the fate of its celestial bodies, and the ultimate "lifetime" of stars has always been an important proposition for human exploration. A research result released by the official website of the University of Radberg, the Netherlands on the 12th may rewrite people's understanding of the "lifespan" of cosmic stars. Based on Hawking's radiation, three astrophysicists at the school concluded through exquisite calculations that the last batch of stars in the universe will completely "decline" after 1078, which is significantly shortened from the previous estimate of 101,100. Related papers have been published in the latest issue of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

　　The theoretical basis of this study can be traced back to the revolutionary theory proposed by Hawking in the 1970s. At that time, this physics master challenged traditional cognition and pointed out that black holes are not "Taotie" that only enter and cannot go out, but will release radiation like a heating body - this is the famous "Hawking radiation" theory.

　　In 2023, the research team published a paper revealing that not only black holes, but also dense celestial bodies such as neutron stars will gradually "evaporate" through a mechanism similar to Hawking's radiation. This discovery has sparked widespread discussion in the academic community, and many scholars have asked: How long does this process take?

　　The latest research gives clear answers. Through precision calculations, scientists found that if only Hawking-like radiation effects were considered, the white dwarf would die in 1078. It was previously estimated that because this type of radiation was not included, it was believed that the white dwarf would take 101,100 years to evaporate.

　　The team said that although the time for the "declination" of cosmic celestial bodies has been much earlier, it is still astronomical and humans do not need to worry about this.

　　The latest research also reveals an interesting phenomenon: the evaporation time of neutron stars and stellar black holes is 1067 years. This result was unexpected to the team - black holes with stronger gravity should evaporate faster. In response, the team explained that black holes have no surface and some of the radiation will be reabsorbed by themselves, forming a "braking effect" and inhibiting Hawking's radiation process. The solid-state surface of neutron stars allows radiation to escape completely, so despite the slightly weak gravity, the evaporation "efficiency" is actually higher.

　　The research team also calculated the "decline" timetable of various other cosmic celestial bodies and matter: without considering other factors, evaporating only through Hawking-like radiation, the moon will take about 3×1089 years, supermassive black holes will take 1096 years, the interstellar cloud will take 10127 years, and the super-galaxy cluster will take 10135 years. (Reporter Liu Xia)

[Editor in charge: Zhu Jiaqi]