kh (09/09/82)
Saying that the gravitons come from the field of the black hole and not from the black hole itself doesn't explain anything. There would be no "field" if the mass in the black hole cannot interact with the space outside it. This is a serious question, too, since it was once theorised that black holes might shut themselves off from the universe entirely and disappear. The answer to this is that virtual gravitons can and do escape the black hole. Don't ask me to explain this since I don't know what they are, but I do know that this is the explanation given. The last time I saw it was in response to a letter in "Science News" which asked the same question. Kenny Hirsch duke!unc!kh
jsgray@watmath.UUCP (Jan Gray) (05/22/84)
I am not a physicist, but my question is: If gravitons are the exchange particle of gravity, and they move at the speed of light, then how can we detect a black hole's gravity? (Shouldn't it "hold" down the gravitons too?) I would also appreciate references to a good (layman's) text on such questions. Jan Gray (jsgray@watmath.UUCP) University of Waterloo (519) 885-1211 x2730 "I'll say, Jan Gray is not the morning's eye, 'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow..."