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Am not sure if this belongs more in quantum physics or in GR, it's at the intersection of the two.
If I understand correctly, the vacuum of the observer at rest corresponds to a thermal bath of particles for the accelerated observer.
Now the obvious question is: how does the observer at rest interprets the fact that a detector in the accelerated frame is recording particles even though the accelerated frame is moving in a vacuum?
In the field vs particle debate in QFT I have always sided with the "particle first" approach because in the end, what we actually detect are always particles. Even in the Unruh effect, one thing is clear for all observers: a detector will record particles or it won't. The only question is what is the interpretation as seen from different observers. The accelerated observer concludes that he/she is moving in a thermal bath of particles. But the observer at rest still sees clearly that the detector is recording particles with a thermal distribution. So what is the interpretation of what is going on from the point of view of the observer at rest?
Another question which may or may not be related to the first is where the energy of the observed particles come from. It is usually said that the energy comes from the force that is accelerating the frame. I am not sure how the energy is actually transferred and as far as I know, no calculation actually shows how this happens (I guess it woul require to also treat the force accelerating the frame quantum mechanically and as far as I know nobody has tried to do that, I am wrong?). But even if we sidestep the issue of transfer of energy, there is another question: energy is taken away from the source so that in order to maintain a constant acceleration, one must actually apply a larger force than what is calculated in GR textbook, right? Is this sort of calculation done somewhere?
Thanks
From the
If I understand correctly, the vacuum of the observer at rest corresponds to a thermal bath of particles for the accelerated observer.
Now the obvious question is: how does the observer at rest interprets the fact that a detector in the accelerated frame is recording particles even though the accelerated frame is moving in a vacuum?
In the field vs particle debate in QFT I have always sided with the "particle first" approach because in the end, what we actually detect are always particles. Even in the Unruh effect, one thing is clear for all observers: a detector will record particles or it won't. The only question is what is the interpretation as seen from different observers. The accelerated observer concludes that he/she is moving in a thermal bath of particles. But the observer at rest still sees clearly that the detector is recording particles with a thermal distribution. So what is the interpretation of what is going on from the point of view of the observer at rest?
Another question which may or may not be related to the first is where the energy of the observed particles come from. It is usually said that the energy comes from the force that is accelerating the frame. I am not sure how the energy is actually transferred and as far as I know, no calculation actually shows how this happens (I guess it woul require to also treat the force accelerating the frame quantum mechanically and as far as I know nobody has tried to do that, I am wrong?). But even if we sidestep the issue of transfer of energy, there is another question: energy is taken away from the source so that in order to maintain a constant acceleration, one must actually apply a larger force than what is calculated in GR textbook, right? Is this sort of calculation done somewhere?
Thanks
From the