Reflecting at the Speed of Light

TL;DR

This paper investigates the thermal emission and energy transfer from a perfectly reflecting boundary accelerating to the speed of light, revealing unique quantum effects without forming an acceleration horizon.

Contribution

It introduces a novel scenario where a reflecting boundary accelerates to light speed, producing thermal radiation and finite energy transfer without an acceleration horizon.

Findings

Thermal emission observed at null infinity due to acceleration.

Finite energy emitted without horizon formation.

Distinct quantum effects from boundary acceleration.

Abstract

A perfectly reflecting accelerating boundary produces thermal emission to an observer at $\mathscr{I}_L^+$ and a finite amount of energy to an observer at $\mathscr{I}_R^+$ by asymptotically traveling to the speed of light without an acceleration horizon.