Quantum Optics of an Oscillator Falling into a Black Hole

TL;DR

This paper models a quantum oscillator falling into a black hole using quantum optics, revealing it radiates energy outward and inward, providing insights into black hole horizon physics and Hawking radiation.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum optics framework for analyzing a falling oscillator's behavior near a black hole horizon, contrasting it with accelerated observers in flat spacetime.

Findings

Oscillator radiates positive energy outward and negative energy inward.

Radiation behavior differs from accelerated detectors in Minkowski vacuum.

Model offers insights into black hole horizon quantum effects.

Abstract

We present a quantum optics treatment of the near horizon behaviour of a quantum oscillator freely-falling into a pre-existing Schwarzschild black hole. We use Painleve-Gullstrand coordinates to define a global vacuum state. In contrast to an accelerated oscillator in the Minkowski vacuum, where there is no radiation beyond an initial transient, we find that the oscillator radiates positive energy to to infinity and negative energy into the black hole as it attempts to come into equilibrium with the ambient vacuum. We discuss the relationship of the model to Hawking radiation.