Numerical simulation of vacuum particle production: applications to cosmology, dynamical Casimir effect and time-dependent non-homogeneous dielectrics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a versatile numerical method to study vacuum particle production across various physical scenarios, including cosmology, the dynamical Casimir effect, and non-homogeneous dielectrics, providing new insights into particle spectra and production rates.

Contribution

A general numerical approach for simulating vacuum particle production in diverse settings, validated through applications to cosmology, Casimir effect, and dynamic dielectrics.

Findings

Confirmed previous estimates of particle production rates.

Obtained long-time particle spectra for resonant and off-resonant frequencies.

Derived simple expressions relating particle number to system parameters.

Abstract

We develop a general numerical method aimed at studying particle production from vacuum states in a variety of settings. As a first example we look at particle production in a simple cosmological model. We apply the same approach to the dynamical Casimir effect, with special focus on the case of an oscillating mirror. We confirm previous estimates and obtain long-time production rates and particle spectra for both resonant and off-resonant frequencies. Finally, we simulate a system with space and time-dependent optical properties, analogous to a one-dimensional expanding dielectric bubble. We obtain simple expressions for the dependence of the final particle number on the expansion velocity and final dielectric constant.