Rotating black hole geometries in a two-dimensional photon superfluid

Year: 2018

Authors: Vocke D., Maitland C., Prain A., Wilson K.E., Biancalana F., Wright, E., Marino F., Faccio D.

Autors Affiliation: Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
School of Physics and Astronomy, Kelvin Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
CNR-Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, L.go E. Fermi 6, I-50125 Firenze, Italy.
INFN, Sez. di Firenze, Via Sansone 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy.

Abstract: Photon fluids have recently found applications in the simulation of a variety of physical phenomena such as superfluidity, vortex instabilities, and artificial gauge theories. Here we experimentally demonstrate the use of a photon fluid for analog gravity, i.e., the study of the physics of curved spacetime in the laboratory. While most analog gravity experiments are performed in 1+1 dimensions (one spatial plus time) and thus can only mimic 1+1D spacetime, we present a (room-temperature) photon superfluid where the geometry of a rotating acoustic black hole can be realized in 2+1D dimensions by an optical vortex. By measuring the local flow velocity and speed of waves in the photon superfluid, we identify a 2D region surrounded by an ergosphere and a spatially separated horizon.350.5720)

Journal/Review: OPTICA

Volume: 5 (9)      Pages from: 1099  to: 1103

KeyWords: Analog Gravity; Quantum Fluids of Light;
DOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.5.001099

Citations: 47
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