An acoustic analogue of the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE) has been demonstrated for the first time. Carried out by physicists in France, the experiment involves converting quantum fluctuations into pairs of quantized sound waves – or phonons – in an ultracold atomic gas. The experimental system could boost our understanding of how radiation emerges spontaneously from a vacuum. Indeed, the team is keen on modifying the set-up so it could be used to simulate Hawking radiation, a type of spontaneous vacuum radiation that is created at the edge of black holes.
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