"The theory of general relativity and the theory of quantum mechanics are currently still somewhat at odds, but there has to be a unifying theory that describes how things function in the universe," says co-author Achim Kempf, a professor of applied mathematics and member of the Institute for Quantum Computing at Waterloo. The ability to experiment on the Unruh effect as well as on the new phenomenon of acceleration-induced transparency provide a big boost for physicists, who have long been searching for ways to unify Einstein's theory of general relativity with quantum mechanics. In an unexpected twist, the team also discovered that by delicately balancing acceleration and deceleration, one should even be able to make accelerated matter transparent. They discovered that shining a high-intensity laser on an accelerated particle can amplify the Unruh effect so much that it actually becomes measurable. The research team found an innovative way to experiment on the Unruh effect through a novel use of high-intensity lasers. The Unruh effect was therefore thought to be so weak that it would be impossible to measure with the accelerations that can be achieved in experiments with current technology. Similar to how the Hawking effect needs a black hole, the Unruh effect requires enormous accelerations to produce a significant glow. This is because, while nothing else can escape a black hole, quantum fluctuations of radiation can." "Instead, as Stephen Hawking discovered, black holes should emit radiation. "Black holes are believed to be not entirely black," says Barbara Ĺ oda, a PhD student in physics at the University of Waterloo. This is because black holes strongly accelerate everything towards them. When astronauts in a spacecraft undergo super strong acceleration and see the light of stars stream by, then the Unruh effect is an additional warm glow on top of the streaming light.First predicted by Canadian physicist Bill Unruh, this effect is closely related to the glow from black holes predicted by Stephen Hawking.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |