Erlangen 2022 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 13: Quantum Gases (Bosons) III
Q 13.4: Talk
Tuesday, March 15, 2022, 11:15–11:30, Q-H10
Observation of curvature and particle production in expanding space-time geometries — Celia Viermann1, Tobias Haas2, Maurus Hans1, Elinor Kath1, Nikolas Liebster1, Álvaro Parra-López2, Natalia Sánchez-Kuntz2, •Marius Sparn1, Helmut Strobel1, Mireia Tolosa-Simeón2, Stefan Floerchinger2, and Markus Oberthaler1 — 1Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, University of Heidelberg, Germany — 2Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg, Germany
The traces of particle production in the very early instances of our universe can today be found in the cosmic microwave background. The modern view on this inflation stage suggests, that the initial particle production starting from a quantum vacuum state is caused by rapid expansion of space. However, inferring the precise expansion history from the structure of the traces is a formidable task. Here, we present an experimental implementation of an effective expanding space-time for phonons in a potassium Bose-Einstein condensate. We show the resulting excitation structure from density measurements of the ultracold gas and observe a clear dependence on the expansion history. Furthermore, we realize and observe curvature of space in the form of an FLRW metric in the system.