[Robro (OP)]

Wondering if the discovery of Hawking Radiation has changed the view of Black Hole entropy, if the black hole remains in a closed system?

[JP]

It was an open question for a long time if black holes obeyed the laws of thermodynamics.  Everything else we know does, so we figured they should--it would be odd if they didn't.  Hawking radiation gave a plausible mechanism that explains how they follow the laws of thermodynamics. 

What's also nice about it is that (as I understand it) he didn't invent new physical laws, but rather applied quantum mechanics to what general relativity told us about black holes at the event horizon.  So assuming GR and quantum mechanics are accurate theories, black holes don't break the laws of thermodynamics.   

[Robro (OP)]

Not wanting to start a new thread, but something on the subject of black holes. Question: What happens to the stream of matter that jets out away from the poles of a black hole in many Galaxies?

[imatfaal]

Modnote!

Side topic on repulsive nature of matter/antimatter split off to New Topics

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=40827.0