Observing Hawking radiation in Bose-Einstein condensates via correlation measurements

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to observe analog Hawking radiation in Bose-Einstein condensates by measuring density correlations caused by phonon pairs generated at acoustic horizons, providing a feasible way to study quantum effects related to black holes.

Contribution

It introduces a direct measurement technique for detecting Hawking radiation analogs in Bose-Einstein condensates through correlation measurements.

Findings

Demonstrates how to detect phonon pairs in BECs

Shows the presence of Hawking-like radiation in laboratory conditions

Provides a practical approach for observing quantum particle creation

Abstract

Observing quantum particle creation by black holes (Hawking radiation) in the astrophysical context is, in ordinary situations, hopeless. Nevertheless the Hawking effect, which depends only on kinematical properties of wave propagation in the presence of horizons, is present also in nongravitational contexts, for instance in stationary fluids undergoing supersonic flow. We present results on how to observe the analog Hawking radiation in Bose-Einstein condensates by a direct measurement of the density correlations due to the phonon pairs (Hawking quanta-partner) created by the acoustic horizon.