Hawking radiation in an electromagnetic waveguide? -: art. no. 031301

It is demonstrated that the propagation of electromagnetic waves in an appropriately designed waveguide is (for large wavelengths) analogous to that within a curved space-time-such as around a black hole. As electromagnetic radiation (e.g., microwaves) can be controlled, amplified, and detected (with present-day technology) much easier than sound, for example, we propose a setup for the experimental verification of the Hawking effect. Apart from experimentally testing this striking prediction, this would facilitate the investigation of the trans-Planckian problem.