Tuesday 16 April 2019

Can a black hole absorb photons whose wavelengths are greater than the BH horizon size?


I am wondering whether a black hole can absorb photons whose wavelengths are greater than the horizon size of the black hole. I have seen different contradicting opinions on the answer. For instance here on PSE, the accepted answer claims that the answer is no, without giving any justification whatsoever. While on physicsforums, I think all the answers are pointing that yes, a black hole should be able to absorb photons whose wavelengths are greater than the size of the horizon of the black hole.


If the answer is yes, then black holes are perfect blackbodies, right? Or is it more complicated, because, like some answer on physicsforums claim, a black hole might have only a small probability to absorb photons whose wavelengths are greater than the horizon size (though no mathematical justification is given), thus even though it might be possible for a BH to absorb such photons, it might still not be a blackbody.


Edit: Here's what I've been told by a QFT specialist:



I think your question is not answerable. "A single photon" requires knowing how to quantize the EM field near a black hole. That is an open problem. And also, "single" particles don't objectively exist in accelerated frames. See the Unruh effect.



I am not satisfied with the current two answers. They do not deal with the above comment at all. Furthermore they seem to contradict each other and they aren't crystal clear.




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