A Critical Reassessment of the Theoretical Foundations of Hawking Radiation: From Mathematical Idealizations to Relativistic Inconsistencies

Abstract

Hawking radiation is widely regarded as a robust theoretical prediction arising from quantum field theory in curved spacetime. While its mathematical derivation is internally consistent and broadly accepted at the theoretical level, the physical interpretation of this result rests on a set of idealized assumptions whose realizability and compatibility with General Relativity are rarely examined in detail. The purpose of this article is not to dispute the mathematical validity of Hawking’s calculation, but to critically analyze the physical and methodological assumptions underlying it. We show that several key inputs employed in the standard derivation are not physically realizable and, in some cases, are in tension with core relativistic principles. Consequently, the resulting prediction should not be treated as an unconditional physical reality, but rather as a conditional outcome tied to idealized theoretical inputs.

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