Influence of uniformly accelerated oscillator on quantum field.

Abstract

The influence on a quantum scalar field in its Minkowski vacuum state induced by weak coupling of the field to a uniformly accelerated harmonic oscillator is studied. From the perspective of a Rindler observer, the reaction of the oscillator on the quantum field distorts the Planckian particle spectrum of the Minkowski vacuum state and induces a change of state for the quantum field even without simultaneous excitation of the oscillator. From the perspective of an inertial observer, apart from inducing the excitation of a Minkowski vacuum state without excitation of the oscillator, the reaction of the oscillator on the field also gives rise to the presence of particles in the Minkowski vacuum state. In the long time limit, when the oscillator comes into thermal equilibrium again with the Minkowski vacuum state according to a Rindler observer, a closed expression for the particle number is worked out and its physical implications are discussed. EPR correlation of the Minkowski vacuum state for a Rindler observer is also disturbed by the presence of an accelerated oscillator even in the long time limit. When the oscillator is viewed as a simple model of a measuring device, the result suggests that noise induced by measurementmore » on a quantum field might present difficulties for a Rindler observer who wants to uphold EPR correlation across the event horizon. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}« less