2007/05/25 by Ralf Schützhold, Michael Uhlmann, Lutz Petersen +5 · 6 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.99.201301
published as Phys.Rev.Lett.99:201301,2007 · 4 pages, 2 figures
arxiv created 2007/05/25 · openalex publication_date 2007/11/12 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We study phonons in a dynamical chain of ions confined by a trap with a time-dependent (axial) potential strength and demonstrate that they behave in the same way as quantum fields in an expanding or contracting Universe. Based on this analogy, we present a scheme for the detection of the analogue of cosmological particle creation which should be feasible with present day technology. In order to test the quantum nature of the particle creation mechanism and to distinguish it from classical effects such as heating, we propose to measure the two-phonon amplitude via the 2nd red sideband transition and to compare it with the one-phonon amplitude (1st red sideband).