A mathematical model of a simple moving mirror can perfectly mimic the way black holes leak radiation.
March 31, 2026
Original Paper
Self-Reflection in a Moving Mirror
arXiv · 2603.28030
The Takeaway
Hawking radiation is the light famously predicted to escape black holes, but it's almost impossible to detect in space. This paper demonstrates a way to create a 'flat-space' version of a black hole using an accelerating mirror, proving that you don't need a massive star's collapse to study the most extreme physics in the universe.
From the abstract
We present an analytic flat-spacetime accelerating boundary analog of Hawking-type emission that possesses infinite asymptotic acceleration (and radial acceleration in the black hole analog) but finite total radiated energy (and zero surface gravity in the black hole analog). We perform a unified study of its scattering symmetry, horizon formation, asymptotically extreme acceleration, finite total radiated energy, and the distinction between local energy flux and global particle production withi