On relativistic particle creation in Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that particle creation in Bose-Einstein condensates due to trap acceleration is a relativistic phenomenon, described by a modified Minkowski metric, with effects diminishing in the non-relativistic limit.

Contribution

It establishes a relativistic framework for understanding particle creation in BECs, linking Bogoliubov modes to a rescaled Minkowski metric and Rindler transformations.

Findings

Particle creation is a relativistic effect in BECs.

Rindler transformations are generalized with the speed of sound.

Effect vanishes in the non-relativistic limit.

Abstract

We show that particle creation of Bogoliubov modes in a Bose-Einstein condensate due to the accelerated motion of the trap is a genuinely relativistic effect. To this end we show that Bogoliubov modes can be described by a time rescaling of the Minkowski metric. A consequence of this is that Rindler transformations are perceived by the phonons as generalised Rindler transformations where the speed of light is replaced by the speed of sound, enhancing particle creation at small velocities. Since the non-relativistic limit of a Rindler transformation is just a Galilean transformation entailing no length contraction or time dilation, we show that the effect vanishes in the non-relativistic limit.