Unruh effect = Compton effect ?

In summary, the Unruh effect, as defined by the Wikipedia article, explains how an accelerating observer will observe black-body radiation in a gravitational field. This is similar to the Compton effect, which involves the inelastic scattering of photons in matter leading to a decrease in energy and increase in wavelength. Both of these effects can be seen in both a gravitational field and an electromagnetic field, with the mechanism being the absorption of more particles or photons than are emitted. This is also related to the concept of the vacuum as a plasma of virtual particle-antiparticle pairs, where an accelerating object in either a gravitational or EM field will see an increase in density. While the Unruh effect is typically thought of in relation to the gravitational field
  • #1
czes
222
1
Unruh (by definition) effect shows that an accelerating observer will observe black-body radiation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unruh_effect
It is in a gravitational field.

Compton scattering by definition. The inelastic scattering of photons in matter results in a decrease in energy (increase in wavelength) of an X-ray or gamma ray photon, called the Compton effect. Part of the energy of the X/gamma ray is transferred to a scattering electron, which recoils and is ejected from its atom, and the rest of the energy is taken by the scattered, "degraded" photon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton_scattering
It is in an EM field.

If the the Vacuum (gravitational field) is a plasma of the virtual particle-antiparticle pairs the mechanism of the Unruh and Compton is the same. An accelerating electron in the gravitational field (virtual plasma) absorbs more virtual pairs than emits and does see the thermal bath (the vacuum density increases towards the massive object). An accelerating electron in the EM field absorbs more photons than emits and does see the thermal bath too.
http://www.hlawiczes1.webpark.pl/gravastar.html
Isn't it ?
 
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  • #2
The Unruh effect isn't due to the gravitational field. It is an effect in flat space-time.

The gravitational field isn't the vacuum.
 
  • #3
Finbar said:
The Unruh effect isn't due to the gravitational field. It is an effect in flat space-time.

The gravitational field isn't the vacuum.

The Unruh effect is in an accelerated motion. The gravitational field is an example where we accelerate.
What is a gravitational field and what is a spacetime. It depends on a theory. If you stop at the pure General Relativity you are right and Unruh effect isn't true.
It is true if we go deeper into a Quantum Gravity. There are many ideas, of course.
One of them is the thermodynamic space, where the gravity is an entropic force and you use Unruh effect. You may read about zero point energy http://www.calphysics.org/articles/gravity_arxiv.pdf
We are in XXI century and there is a progress in physics.
 
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1. What is the Unruh effect?

The Unruh effect is a theoretical phenomenon in physics that suggests that an accelerating observer will perceive a thermal radiation from an otherwise empty space. This effect is also known as the Fulling-Davies-Unruh effect or the dynamical Casimir effect.

2. What is the Compton effect?

The Compton effect is a phenomenon in which a photon collides with a particle, resulting in a decrease in the wavelength of the photon and an increase in the energy of the particle. This effect was first observed by Arthur Compton in 1923 and is an important aspect of understanding the quantum behavior of light and matter.

3. How are the Unruh effect and the Compton effect related?

The Unruh effect and the Compton effect are both consequences of quantum field theory. They both involve interactions between particles and photons, but the Unruh effect specifically deals with accelerated observers while the Compton effect can occur in any interaction between a photon and a particle.

4. Is the Unruh effect experimentally confirmed?

At this time, there is no direct experimental evidence for the Unruh effect. However, there have been several experiments that have indirectly supported its existence, such as the dynamical Casimir effect and the Hawking radiation predicted in black holes.

5. How does the Unruh effect impact our understanding of space and time?

The Unruh effect challenges our traditional understanding of space and time by suggesting that an observer's perception of the vacuum is not static, but can change depending on their acceleration. This effect has important implications for our understanding of quantum mechanics, general relativity, and the nature of space-time.

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