Non-local density correlations as signal of Hawking radiation in BEC acoustic black holes

TL;DR

This paper investigates how density correlations in a Bose-Einstein condensate can signal Hawking radiation through phonon pair emission, providing theoretical predictions for experimental detection.

Contribution

It introduces a method to identify Hawking radiation in BECs via long-range density correlations, bridging gravitational analogies with quantum fluid experiments.

Findings

Density-density correlations reveal Hawking-like phonon pair emission.

Quantitative estimates support experimental detection feasibility.

Long-range correlations serve as a signature of acoustic black hole radiation.

Abstract

We have used the analogy between gravitational systems and non-homogeneous fluid flows to calculate the density-density correlation function of an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of an acoustic black hole. The emission of correlated pairs of phonons by Hawking-like process results into a peculiar long-range density correlation. Quantitative estimations of the effect are provided for realistic experimental configurations.