Gravitational lensing and tunneling of mechanical waves in synthetic curved spacetime

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a lab-scale mechanical network that mimics gravitational lensing and tunneling phenomena of black holes, using programmable couplings to emulate curved spacetime effects on mechanical waves.

Contribution

It introduces a synthetic, reprogrammable platform for simulating relativistic phenomena like gravitational lensing and Hawking radiation in a condensed matter system.

Findings

Successful demonstration of wave bending towards a center in the network.

Reprogramming the network to mimic quantum tunneling analogous to Hawking radiation.

The platform can simulate various curved spacetime effects with adjustable parameters.

Abstract

Black holes are considered among the most fascinating objects that exist in our universe, since in the classical formalism nothing, even no light, can escape from their vicinity due to gravity. The gravitational potential causes the light to bend towards the hole, which is known by gravitational lensing. Here we present a synthetic realization of this phenomenon in a lab-scale two-dimensional network of mechanical circuits, based on analogous condensed matter formalism of Weyl semimetals with inhomogeneous nodal tilt profiles. Some of the underlying network couplings turn out as unstable and non-reciprocal, and are implemented by embedded active feedback interactions in an overall stabilized structure. We demonstrate the lensing by propagating mechanical wavepackets through the network with a programmed funnel-like potential, achieving wave bending towards the circle center. We then demonstrate the versatility of our platform by reprogramming it to mimic quantum tunneling of particles through the event horizon, known by Hawking radiation, achieving an exceptional correspondence to the original mass loss rate within the hole. The network couplings and the potential can be further reprogrammed to realize other curvatures and associated relativistic phenomena.