Acceleration radiation, transition probabilities, and trans-Planckian physics

TL;DR

This paper clarifies that the primary origin of acceleration radiation can be explained without invoking trans-Planckian physics, emphasizing the role of natural scales and local two-point functions in the phenomenon.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the dominant effects in acceleration radiation arise from non trans-Planckian scales, challenging the necessity of trans-Planckian physics in Hawking radiation derivations.

Findings

Bulk of acceleration radiation effect comes from natural, non trans-Planckian scales.

Trans-Planckian physics, when defined Lorentz-invariantly, has limited impact on the effect.

Provides a framework to estimate trans-Planckian physics' role in Hawking radiation.

Abstract

An important question in the derivation of the acceleration radiation, which also arises in Hawking's derivation of black hole radiance, is the need to invoke trans-Planckian physics for the quantum field that originates the created quanta. We point out that this issue can be further clarified by reconsidering the analysis in terms of particle detectors, transition probabilities, and local two-point functions. By writing down separate expressions for the spontaneous- and induced-transition probabilities of a uniformly accelerated detector, we show that the bulk of the effect comes from the natural (non trans-Planckian) scale of the problem, which largely diminishes the importance of the trans-Planckian sector. This is so, at least, when trans-Planckian physics is defined in a Lorentz invariant way. This analysis also suggests how to define and estimate the role of trans-Planckian physics in the Hawking effect itself.