Laboratory soft x-ray emission due to the Hawking-Unruh effect?

TL;DR

This paper proposes a feasible experimental scheme using current laser and electron beam technology to detect Unruh radiation as soft x-ray photons, testing fundamental links between spacetime, quantum fields, and thermodynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to detect Unruh radiation by separating classical and quantum signals in frequency space with existing laser systems.

Findings

Detection of Unruh radiation in soft x-ray range is theoretically possible.

Experimental design and constraints are discussed for practical implementation.

The approach offers a new way to test fundamental physics concepts.

Abstract

The structure of spacetime, quantum field theory, and thermodynamics are all connected through the concepts of the Hawking and Unruh temperatures. The possible detection of the related radiation constitutes a fundamental test of such subtle connections. Here a scheme is presented for the detection of Unruh radiation based on currently available laser systems. By separating the classical radiation from the Unruh-response in frequency space, it is found that the detection of Unruh radiation is possible in terms of soft x-ray photons using current laser-electron beam technology. The experimental constraints are discussed and a proposal for an experimental design is given.