Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We study one-dimensional Dirac fermions in the presence of a spatially varying Dirac velocity $v(x)$, that can form an approximate laboratory-based Rindler Hamiltonian describing an observer accelerating in Minkowski spacetime. A sudden switch from a spatially homogeneous velocity [$v(x)$ constant] to a spatially varying velocity [$v(x)$ inhomogeneous] leads to the phenomenon of particle creation, i.e., an analog Unruh effect. We study the dependence of the analog Unruh effect on the precise form of the velocity profile, finding that while the ideal Unruh effect occurs for $v(x)\ensuremath{\propto}|x|$, a modified Unruh effect still occurs for more realistic velocity profiles that are linear for $|x|$ smaller than a length scale $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ and constant for $|x|\ensuremath{\gg}\ensuremath{\lambda}$ [such as $v(x)\ensuremath{\propto}tanh(|x|/\ensuremath{\lambda})$]. We show that the associated particle creation is localized to $|x|\ensuremath{\ll}\ensuremath{\lambda}$.
DOI: 10.1103/yccb-db4j
Authors: Khristian B. Tallent, Daniel E. Sheehy
Institution: Louisiana State University
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4414039356