Unruh effect

E143967

The Unruh effect is a predicted phenomenon in quantum field theory where an accelerating observer perceives what inertial observers consider vacuum as a warm bath of particles with a characteristic temperature.

All labels observed (3)

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf physical phenomenon
prediction in quantum field theory
appearsIn Phys. Rev. D 14, 870 (1976)
appliesTo quantum fields in Minkowski spacetime
uniformly accelerated observers in flat spacetime
consideredAs cornerstone of quantum field theory in non-inertial frames
dependsOn Boltzmann constant
Planck constant
proper acceleration
speed of light
describes particle detection by uniformly accelerated detectors in vacuum
thermal perception of vacuum by accelerated observers
field quantum field theory
theoretical physics
hasAlternativeName Unruh effect
surface form: Fulling–Davies–Unruh effect
hasConsequence connection between acceleration and temperature
different observers disagree on particle number
thermalization of accelerated detectors
hasFormula T = \frac{\hbar a}{2 \pi c k_B}
hasProperty observer-dependent particle content
temperature proportional to proper acceleration
thermal spectrum
hasStatus not yet directly experimentally confirmed
implies accelerated observer perceives vacuum as thermal bath
vacuum state is observer-dependent
mathematicallyAnalogousTo Hawking radiation
surface form: Hawking temperature of black holes
predicts excitation of an Unruh–DeWitt detector in Minkowski vacuum
thermal particle spectrum for uniformly accelerated observers
proposalYear 1976
proposedBy William G. Unruh
relatedTo Bogoliubov transformation
surface form: Bogoliubov transformations

Hawking radiation
Minkowski space-time
surface form: Minkowski vacuum

Paul C. W. Davies
Rindler coordinates
Rindler horizon
Stephen Fulling
Unruh effect self-linksurface differs
surface form: Unruh–DeWitt detector model

equivalence principle
quantum fields in curved spacetime
supports view that particles are not invariantly defined in QFT
temperatureProportionalTo acceleration
temperatureSymbol T
thermalStateFor uniformly accelerated observers
typicalScale extremely small temperature for laboratory accelerations
usesConcept Kubo–Martin–Schwinger condition
Rindler wedge
event horizon for accelerated observers
vacuumStateFor inertial observers

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Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Hawking radiation relatedTo Unruh effect
Schwinger effect relatedTo Unruh effect
Unruh effect relatedTo Unruh effect self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Unruh–DeWitt detector model
Unruh effect hasAlternativeName Unruh effect
this entity surface form: Fulling–Davies–Unruh effect