Black holes in Bose-Einstein condensates

It is shown that there exist both dynamically stable and unstable dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates that, in the hydrodynamic limit, exhibit a behavior completely analogous to that of gravitational black holes. The dynamical instabilities involve creation of quasiparticle pairs in positive and negative energy states. We illustrate these features in two qualitatively different one-dimensional models. We have also simulated the creation of a stable sonic black hole by solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation numerically for a condensate subject to a trapping potential that is adiabatically deformed. A sonic black hole could in this way be created experimentally with state-of-the-art or planned technology.