Abstract
Hawking radiation is unlikely to be measured from a real black hole, but can be tested in laboratory analogues. It was predicted as a consequence of quantum mechanics and general relativity, but turned out to be more universal. A refractive index perturbation produces an optical analogue of the black-hole horizon and Hawking radiation that is made of light. We discuss the central and recent experiments of the optical analogue, using hands-on physics. We stress the roles of classical fields, negative frequencies, 'regular optics' and dispersion. Opportunities and challenges ahead are briefly mentioned.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The next generation of analogue gravity experiments'.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 20190232 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
Volume | 378 |
Issue number | 2177 |
Early online date | 20 Jul 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Aug 2020 |
Funding
I am grateful for discussions and comments from David Bermudez, Jonathan Drori and Ulf Leonhardt. I acknowledge valuable discussions with the participants of the scientific meeting ‘The next generation of analogue gravity experiments’ at the Royal Society (London, UK, December 2019), and thank its organizers: Maxime Jacquet, Silke Weinfurtner and Friedrich König. Funding - Weizmann Institute Sustainability and Energy Research Initiative; European Research Council; and the Israel Science Foundation.