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arXiv · 2608.27478

Quantum speed limit time of a uniformly accelerated Unruh-DeWitt detector

Abstract

Within the open quantum system formalism, using the Markovian process, we investigate the {\it quantum speed limit time} (QSLT) of a uniformly accelerated Unruh-DeWitt detector, interacting with the massless real scaler field. Three specific scenarios are being studied -- the field is in Minkowski spacetime (i) without any reflecting boundary but at a finite temperature, (ii) presence of single boundary with the detector is accelerating parallel to the plane of it, and (iii) presence of two boundaries with the detector is moving between them along the parallel direction. Interestingly, the behavior of QSLT appears to be very distinctive around a particular value of $a$. For the first scenario QSLT shows very noticeable change around a specific $a$ and the required value of $a$ corresponding to this change decreases with the increase of field temperature. In the other two scenarios, QSLT starts to fluctuate after a critical value of $a$. If we further increase $a$, more vigorous fluctuation emerges. The value of $a$ required for the starting of the oscillation is much less for the double boundary case compared to the single boundary. Taking into account specific values of the distance between the boundaries and the detector's frequency, we estimate that the critical value of $a$ can be as low as $\sim 10^5 \text{m}/\text{s}^2$ for the double boundary situation. We argue that such a distinctive feature in QSLT can be a fruitful tool to diagnose the Unruh effect.

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Debasish Ghosh, Bibhas Ranjan Majhi. 2026-08-21. Quantum speed limit time of a uniformly accelerated Unruh-DeWitt detector. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.27478

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