The Effects of Uniform Acceleration on the Correlation Harvesting

Abstract

Quantum field theory (QFT) in curved spacetime focuses on the analysis of quantum fields—representing fundamental particles and their interactions—within a curved spacetime geometry, accounting for relativistic effects. Among the prominent subjects in QFT are the Unruh effect and the entanglement harvesting protocol. The Unruh effect, introduced by G. Unruh, posits that a uniformly accelerating particle detector undergoes thermality, despite the absence of particles perceived by an inertial observer. Entanglement harvesting protocol on the other hand involves two or more Unruh-Dewitt (UDW) detectors within a quantum field. It examines the amount of entanglement between these detectors after interacting with the field, which depends on the trajectories of the detectors and the spacetime geometry. Current studies are expanding into other correlation types, collectively referred to as the correlation harvesting protocol. In this thesis, we investigate the effects of uniform acceleration on the correlation harvesting protocol, with a particular emphasis on understanding the impact of Unruh temperature on the total correlation harvesting. A prior investigation explored the correlation harvesting protocol for two inertial UDW detectors in a thermal bath. The findings revealed that high temperatures inhibit entanglement harvesting between the detectors, while it enhances the total correlation between them. We investigate whether the Unruh temperature induces a similar impact on correlation harvesting by examining the correlation harvesting protocol of two linearly uniformly accelerating UDW detectors. We then broaden our investigation to encompass other uniformly accelerating trajectories, initially defined by Letaw, that could induce effects similar to the Unruh effect but might be more feasible than linear motion in an experimental setting, This is particularly relevant in consideration of ongoing experiments aiming for Unruh effect verification. Our findings are as follows: (i) high accelerations(equivalently Unruh temperature) prevent the detectors from acquiring correlations from the field in all trajectories of detectors that are uniformly accelerating. (ii) Within the framework of uniform acceleration, there exists small, yet consequential, regions of parameter space where detectors in causal contact may genuinely harvest entanglement. (iii) The Unruh temperature's effect on total correlation harvesting diverges from that of thermal bath temperature despite their similar effect on a single detector.