First "Observation" of Hawking Radiation

KentuckyFC writes "Italian physicists are claiming the first observation of Hawking radiation, but not from a black hole. Instead they've spotted it streaming from a sonic horizon in a Bose Einstein Condensate (abstract on the arXiv). That's consistent with previous predictions but they're claiming the 'first' even though the experiment was only a numerical simulation. Does that really count?"

Maybe they read /.

[JeepFanatic]

... and they wanted to get First Post?

reverse engineer it

[OrochimaruVoldemort]

and you get a black hole. but, don't feed it.

Re:reverse engineer it

[TheMadcapZ]

Especially after midnight. Keep it our of the rain too.

Only numerical simulation

[jayhawk88]

That accurately describes about 90% of theoretical physics doesn't it?

First Observation of The Meaning Of Life

[Thanshin]

6 * 7

It's just a numerical simulation, but everybody knows it counts anyway.

Re:First Observation of The Meaning Of Life

[Selfbain]

I think you mean 6 by 9.

Re:Only numerical simulation

[Thanshin]

That accurately describes about 90% of theoretical physics doesn't it?

Yes, the other 10% actually test empirically all their theories. They just keep the TP name because chicks dig it.

What an interesting question

[idontgno]

...though the experiment was only a numerical simulation. Does that really count?

If so, then many slashdotters are no longer virgins.

Streaming from a what!?

[Anonymous Coward]

Instead they've spotted it streaming from a sonic horizon in a Bose Einstein Condensate

Eh? Is that some kind of new MP3 player?

What's next?

[AbsoluteXyro]

How long until they "observe" a Fry, er, Hawking Hole? I could have swore I "observed" one on TV.

Re:Thinking in circles anyone?

[CmdrGravy]

Not quite, if you imagine the theory as a car then the scientists suspected it might have been a Porsche Cayenne 4x4 and once they had built their simulation ( imagine that as a carwash ) it turned out that it was indeed a Porsche Cayenne 4x4. However the amazing thing was that even though they hadn't considered the driver specifically in their simulation it did indeed turn out the simulated driver was a enormous wanker thus proving beyond doubt the truth of their simulation.

God Exists!

[serutan]

We've got millions of highly vivid simulations!

Re:First Observation of The Meaning Of Life

[bugnuts]

I think you mean 6 by 9.

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with my universe, thank you very much.

Same thing, it's just base 13.

Re:Only numerical simulation

[TeknoHog]

They just keep the TP name because chicks dig it.

I am Cornhawkio! I need TP for my blackhole!