Analogue gravity and the Hawking effect: historical perspective and literature review

TL;DR

This paper reviews the historical development and current state of analogue gravity research related to the Hawking effect, highlighting its evolution from theoretical analogy to experimental investigation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive historical perspective and literature review, identifying three phases of analogue gravity research and discussing a recent transition to new motivations.

Findings

Identification of three historical phases of analogue gravity research.

Modern research shows a shift in motivation beyond initial problem-solving.

Some analogue models are feasible for laboratory experiments.

Abstract

Reasoning by analogies permeates theoretical developments in physics and astrophysics, motivated by the unreachable nature of many phenomena at play. For example, analogies have been used to understand black hole physics, leading to the development of a thermodynamic theory for these objects and the discovery of the Hawking effect. The latter, which results from quantum field theory on black hole space-times, changed the way physicists approached this subject: what had started as a mere aid to understanding becomes a possible source of evidence via the research programme of `analogue gravity' that builds on analogue models for field effects. Some of these analogue models may and can be realised in the laboratory, allowing experimental tests of field effects. Here, we present a historical perspective on the connection between the Hawking effect and analogue models. We also present a literature review of current research, bringing history and contemporary physics together. We argue that the history of analogue gravity and the Hawking effect is divided into three distinct phases based on how and why analogue models have been used to investigate fields in the vicinity of black holes. Furthermore, we find that modern research signals a transition to a new phase, where the impetus for the use of analogue models has surpassed the problem they were originally designed to solve.