MSGID: 1:317/3 6279eaa9   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Research breakthrough means warp speed 'Unruh effect' can finally be   
   tested in lab settings    
      
     Date:   
         May 9, 2022   
     Source:   
         University of Waterloo   
     Summary:   
         A major hurdle for work at the forefront of fundamental physics   
         is the inability to test cutting-edge theories in a laboratory   
         setting. But a recent discovery opens the door for scientists to   
         see ideas in action that were previously only understood in theory   
         or represented in science fiction.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   A major hurdle for work at the forefront of fundamental physics is the   
   inability to test cutting-edge theories in a laboratory setting. But a   
   recent discovery opens the door for scientists to see ideas in action   
   that were previously only understood in theory or represented in science   
   fiction.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   One such theory is on the Unruh effect. When astronauts in a spacecraft   
   undergo super strong acceleration and see the light of stars stream by,   
   then the Unruh effect is an additional warm glow on top of the streaming   
   light.First predicted by Canadian physicist Bill Unruh, this effect   
   is closely related to the glow from black holes predicted by Stephen   
   Hawking. This is because black holes strongly accelerate everything   
   towards them.   
      
   "Black holes are believed to be not entirely black," says Barbara Soda,   
   a PhD student in physics at the University of Waterloo. "Instead, as   
   Stephen Hawking discovered, black holes should emit radiation. This is   
   because, while nothing else can escape a black hole, quantum fluctuations   
   of radiation can."  Similar to how the Hawking effect needs a black hole,   
   the Unruh effect requires enormous accelerations to produce a significant   
   glow. The Unruh effect was therefore thought to be so weak that it would   
   be impossible to measure with the accelerations that can be achieved in   
   experiments with current technology.   
      
   The research team found an innovative way to experiment on the Unruh   
   effect through a novel use of high-intensity lasers. They discovered that   
   shining a high-intensity laser on an accelerated particle can amplify   
   the Unruh effect so much that it actually becomes measurable.   
      
   In an unexpected twist, the team also discovered that by delicately   
   balancing acceleration and deceleration, one should even be able to make   
   accelerated matter transparent.   
      
   The ability to experiment on the Unruh effect as well as on the new   
   phenomenon of acceleration-induced transparency provide a big boost for   
   physicists, who have long been searching for ways to unify Einstein's   
   theory of general relativity with quantum mechanics.   
      
   "The theory of general relativity and the theory of quantum mechanics are   
   currently still somewhat at odds, but there has to be a unifying theory   
   that describes how things function in the universe," says co-author   
   Achim Kempf, a professor of applied mathematics and member of the   
   Institute for Quantum Computing at Waterloo. "We've been looking for a   
   way to unite these two big theories, and this work is helping to move   
   us closer by opening up opportunities for testing new theories against   
   experiments."  The team is now setting out to conduct further laboratory   
   experiments. They are also excited by the impacts of the research on some   
   of the fundamental questions about physics and the nature of the universe.   
      
   "For over 40 years, experiments have been hindered by an inability to   
   explore the interface of quantum mechanics and gravity," says co-author   
   Vivishek Sudhir, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at   
   the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an affiliate of the Laser   
   Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). "We have here a   
   viable option to explore this interface in a laboratory setting. If we   
   can figure out some of these big questions, it could change everything."   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Waterloo. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Barbara Soda, Vivishek Sudhir, Achim Kempf. Acceleration-Induced   
      Effects   
         in Stimulated Light-Matter Interactions. Physical Review Letters,   
         2022; 128 (16) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.163603   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220509100938.htm   
      
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