Fiber-optical analogue of the event horizon

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the creation of an optical analogue of an event horizon using ultrashort pulses in microstructured fibers, showing classical effects and potential for exploring quantum phenomena like Hawking radiation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel optical system that mimics event horizons, enabling experimental and theoretical investigation of horizon-related physics.

Findings

Observed blue-shifting of light at a white-hole horizon

Demonstrated formation of an artificial event horizon in optics

Theoretical analysis suggests potential to probe Hawking radiation

Abstract

The physics at the event horizon resembles the behavior of waves in moving media. Horizons are formed where the local speed of the medium exceeds the wave velocity. We use ultrashort pulses in microstructured optical fibers to demonstrate the formation of an artificial event horizon in optics. We observed a classical optical effect, the blue-shifting of light at a white-hole horizon. We also show by theoretical calculations that such a system is capable of probing the quantum effects of horizons, in particular Hawking radiation.