Quest for detecting an Unruh-effect inspired phenomenon in helium-4

• Grant number: 25/19237-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: March 01, 2026
• End date: February 28, 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
• Supervisor: Jorma Louko
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Nottingham, University Park, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/21443-2 - Theoretical aspects concerning the Unruh effect and its detection, BP.PD

Abstract

This proposal outlines a research placement aimed at contributing to a novel initiative for the indirect detection of the Unruh effect. Due to the immense challenges of directly observing phenomena at the intersection of general relativity and quantum mechanics, we turn to analog models that mimic gravitational behavior in more accessible laboratory settings. We aim to experimentally test new phenomena that can be explained by the Unruh effect, a key phenomenon where the inertial vacuum is perceived as a thermal bath by an accelerating observer. This project focuses on the theoretical and analytical aspects of a groundbreaking experimental effort, specifically, we will contribute to a pioneering proposal that uses lasers interacting with thin superfluid helium-4 films to model detectors in effective accelerated frames, where acceleration-dependent features can be mapped onto measurable observables in helium-4 films. Through detailed theoretical analysis, this approach is designed to extract acceleration-dependent signatures even in the presence of realistic noise sources and ambient temperatures.