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Kuan-Nan Lin

Publications and source records attributed to Kuan-Nan Lin.

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Squeezed quantum states and partner modes in the moving mirror model of black hole evaporation

The standard moving mirror model in (1+1)-dimensional spacetime is known to reproduce several quantum aspects of black hole evaporation. A perfectly reflecting, accelerating mirror can emit radiation whose frequency spectrum resembles that of Hawking radiation, although this correspondence holds only under certain approximations. Moreover, the standard in-out formulation does not provide a natural notion of the partner modes associated with the Hawking radiation. In this paper, we reformulate the moving mirror model in terms of Rindler/Milne modes. This formulation not only attributes the origin of the required approximations to mode squeezing effects but also naturally incorporates the notion of partner modes. Furthermore, as a consequence of these mode squeezing effects, the radiation received by an inertial observer at future null infinity exhibits additional nontrivial quantum correlations, even though its frequency spectrum approximately follows a Bose--Einstein or Fermi--Dirac distribution.

gr-qc

Entanglement between pair-created twin universes with opposite time arrows should leave a birthmark on CMB spectrum

Why (and how) the Universe was born is one of the ultimate questions in physics. Another big puzzle is about the arrow of time: why is there only one direction of time? Are these two issues related? One way to solve both puzzles at one stroke is to posit that our universe was pair-created with a twin, whose time arrow is opposite to ours. If so, then the twins must naturally be quantum entangled. In Euclidean quantum gravity, this implies the existence of a Euclidean wormhole bridging the twin universes. Each universe is then in a mixed-state and the mutual entanglement shall leave signatures in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum. Invoking the Klebanov-Susskind-Banks wormhole as a toy model for the sake of tractability, we show that the entanglement selects a novel and unique global vacuum for the total inflaton perturbations in both universes. This is equivalent to imposing a simple harmonic oscillator boundary condition on the Euclidean wavefunction of the total perturbations, and it turns out that the entanglement enhances the CMB power spectrum for long-wavelength modes. Such a birthmark renders our notion refutable.

gr-qc

A possible origin of the $α$-vacuum as the initial state of the Universe

We investigate the cosmological observables using the Euclidean path integral approach. Specifically, we study both the no-boundary compact instantons scenario and the Euclidean wormholes scenario that can induce the creation of two universes from nothing. It is known that perturbations associated with the no-boundary scenario can only be consistent with the Bunch-Davies vacuum. Here we demonstrate that the Euclidean wormholes can allow for a de Sitter invariant vacuum, the so-called $α$-vacuum state, where the Bunch-Davies vacuum is a special case. This therefore provides the $α$-vacuum a geometrical origin. As an aside, we discuss a subtle phase issue when considering the power spectrum related to $α$-vacuum in the closed universe framework.

gr-qc

The final burst of the moving mirror is unrelated to the partner mode of analog Hawking radiation

Flying mirrors with appropriate trajectories have been recognized as an analog system that mimics black hole Hawking evaporation and have been widely investigated. It has recently been suggested that the partner mode of the analog Hawking radiation emitted from a moving mirror would manifest itself through a final burst when the mirror executes a sudden stop. Here we argue the opposite via the partner formula for the moving mirror model. By expanding the theoretical foundation of the partner formula and augmenting it with numerical analysis, we demonstrate that the supposed final burst is induced by a shock that requires the input of external energy, whereas the Hawking radiation partner mode, which is associated with the zero-point vacuum fluctuations, is not responsible for the burst.

gr-qc

Particle production by a relativistic semitransparent mirror of finite size and thickness

Production of massless scalar particles by a relativistic semitransparent mirror of finite transverse size and longitudinal thickness in (1+3)D flat spacetime is studied. The derived particle spectrum formula is applied to two specific trajectories. One is the gravitational collapse trajectory invoked in (1+1)D perfectly reflecting moving mirror literature to mimic Hawking radiation, and the other is the plasma mirror trajectory proposed to be realizable in future experiments. It is found that the finiteness of the transverse size leads to diffraction, while the nontrivial thickness amplifies the production rate. We also estimated the particle yield as roughly 3000 in a 20-day data acquisition based on the parameters invoked in the proposed AnaBHEL experiment.

gr-qc

Analog Hawking radiation emitted by a perfectly reflecting mirror

Analog Hawking radiation emitted by a perfectly reflecting mirror in (1+3)-dimensional flat spacetime is investigated. This is accomplished by studying the reflected frequency and momentum based on Einstein's mirror, instead of the canonical way of solving, if possible, wave equations subjected to a dynamical Dirichlet boundary condition. In the case of a finite-size mirror, diffraction pattern appears in the radiation spectrum. Based on the relevant parameters in the proposed Analog Black Hole Evaporation via Lasers experiment, in which the Hawking temperature $T_{H}\simeq 0.03$ eV and the mirror area $A\simeq (50\;\mu\mathrm{m})^{2}$, the Hawking photon yield is estimated to be $N\simeq 16$/laser shot.

gr-qc

AnaBHEL (Analog Black Hole Evaporation via Lasers) Experiment: Concept, Design, and Status

Accelerating relativistic mirror has long been recognized as a viable setting where the physics mimics that of black hole Hawking radiation. In 2017, Chen and Mourou proposed a novel method to realize such a system by traversing an ultra-intense laser through a plasma target with a decreasing density. An international AnaBHEL (Analog Black Hole Evaporation via Lasers) Collaboration has been formed with the objectives of observing the analog Hawking radiation and shedding light on the information loss paradox. To reach these goals, we plan to first verify the dynamics of the flying plasma mirror and to characterize the correspondence between the plasma density gradient and the trajectory of the accelerating plasma mirror. We will then attempt to detect the analog Hawking radiation photons and measure the entanglement between the Hawking photons and their "partner particles". In this paper, we describe our vision and strategy of AnaBHEL using the Apollon laser as a reference, and we report on the progress of our R&D of the key components in this experiment, including the supersonic gas jet with a graded density profile, and the superconducting nanowire single-photon Hawking detector. In parallel to these hardware efforts, we performed computer simulations to estimate the potential backgrounds, and derive analytic expressions for modifications to the blackbody spectrum of Hawking radiation for a perfectly reflecting, point mirror, due to the semit-ransparency and finite-size effects specific to flying plasma mirrors. Based on this more realistic radiation spectrum, we estimate the Hawking photon yield to guide the design of the AnaBHEL experiment, which appears to be achievable.

gr-qc

Particle Production by a Relativistic Semi-Transparent Mirror in 1+3D Minkowski Spacetime

Production of scalar particles by a relativistic, semi-transparent mirror in 1+3D Minkowski spacetime based on the Barton-Calogeracos (BC) action is investigated. The corresponding Bogoliubov coefficients are derived for a mirror with arbitrary trajectory. In particular, we apply our derived formula to the gravitational collapse trajectory. In addition, we identify the relation between the particle spectrum and the particle production probability, and we demonstrate the equivalence between our approach and the existing approach in the literature, which is restricted to 1+1D. In short, our treatment extends the study to 1+3D spacetime. Lastly, we offer a third approach for finding the particle spectrum using the S-matrix formalism.

gr-qc