2020/02/29 by Yuval Rosenberg · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #physics.optics #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1098/rsta.2019.0232
17 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. This version include several minor revisions to improve clarity
arxiv created 2020/04/12 · arxiv updated 2021/03/17
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 produce 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 shortly discussed.