Theoretical aspects concerning the Unruh effect and its detection

• Grant number: 24/21443-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: George Emanuel Avraam Matsas
• Grantee: Felipe Ignacio Portales Oliva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/19237-8 - Quest for detecting an Unruh-effect inspired phenomenon in helium-4, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Due to the impracticalities of testing the effects at the intersection of general relativity and quantum mechanics, particularly given the scale required for such experiments, it is useful to turn to analog models. These models, which are more controllable systems, mimic the behavior of gravity. One such phenomenon, that remains experimentally unobserved at this interface, is the Unruh effect, which is essential for understanding how quantization and radiation depend on the observer. The lack of an experimental measure of the corresponding thermalization has caused misunderstandings about the physical existence of this effect. In this research project, we aim to both contribute to the theoretical aspects of an initiative designed to measure the Unruh effect using analog models to find indirect evidence of its existence, as well as enhance our understanding of how the Unruh effect influences gravitational radiation.