Science

A brief and accessible overview of Hawking radiation from the Physics FAQ; suitable for the general reader. Originally written by John Baez (University of California at Riverside); later modified by Ilja Schmelzer.

Brief introduction to the basic ideas of black hole thermodynamics; written by David M. Harrison (University of Toronto); uses no mathematical formulas; suitable for a general audience.

A brief (graduate level) introduction to the quantum aspects of black holes, from the laws of black hole mechanics and Hawking radiation to more advanced aspects such as the interpretation of the entropy and the possible existence of primordial black holes. Written by Claus Kiefer (University of Cologne).

Very readable tutorial by Jennie Traschen (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) on how to compute the properties of Hawking radiation and perform similar calculations. Presupposes basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory.

Review by Bob Wald (University of Chicago). Suitable for undergraduates; includes discussion of classical black hole thermodynamics, Hawking radiation from black holes, the generalized second law, and the issue of entropy bounds.

An elementary introduction (at graduate level) to the problem of black hole entropy as formulated by Bekenstein and Hawking. Written by Parthasarathi Majumdar based on a conference talk.

Review article by Jeff Harvey (University of Chicago) and Andrew Strominger (UCSB) on Hawking radiation and black hole evaporation, based on lectures given in 1992 in Trieste and Boulder, Colorado.

Review by Andreas Wipf (University of Jena), giving an introduction to quantum fields in spacetime and, more specifically, the Unruh effect and Hawking radiation. Presupposes basic knowledge of quantum field theory and general relativity.

Review by Ted Jacobson (University of Maryland and Utrecht University), suitable for graduate student. Presents the standard understanding of the Hawking effect, the fundamentals of the Unruh effect, and the connection between the two.

Contribution by Ted Jacobson (University of Maryland) to the Eighth Marcel Grossmann Meeting: An overview of development in black hole thermodynamics in the 1990s.

Review article (graduate level) by Abhay Ashtekar and Kirill Krasnov (Penn State University) about how to explain black hole thermodynamics using the methods of non-perturbative quantum general relativity.