Acoustic Black Holes in a Shock-Wave Exciton-Polariton Condensate

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that intrinsic nonlinear hydrodynamics in exciton-polariton condensates can spontaneously form acoustic black holes, enabling the study of analogue gravitational effects without external potential engineering.

Contribution

It reveals a novel mechanism for black hole analogue formation via shock waves in polariton fluids, using a quasi-conservative model and Whitham theory.

Findings

Formation of transonic interfaces acting as horizons

Quantitative estimates of Hawking temperature

Spontaneous horizon creation without external potentials

Abstract

We demonstrate the spontaneous formation of acoustic black holes in exciton-polariton condensates triggered by discontinuous Riemann-type initial conditions. Starting from a quasi-conservative Gross-Pitaevskii model, we show that nonlinear dispersive shock waves naturally generate spatial regions where the local flow velocity exceeds the speed of sound, creating a self-induced transonic interface that functions as an acoustic horizon. Unlike previous schemes relying on externally engineered potentials or pump-loss landscapes, our approach reveals that the intrinsic nonlinear hydrodynamics of polariton fluids alone can lead to horizon formation. Using Whitham modulation theory and numerical simulations, we characterize the transition between subsonic and supersonic regimes and estimate the corresponding surface gravity and Hawking temperature. This mechanism opens a new route toward realizing polariton black holes and studying analogue gravitational effects, including Hawking-like emission, in Bose-Einstein quantum liquids.