Vorticity in analogue models of gravity

Abstract

Analogue models of Gravity are systems in which classical or quantum fields, in certain regimes, perceive an effective curved geometry, allowing one to test in laboratory effects that cannot normally be observed in gravitational systems. The most significant example of this is the recent detection of the Hawking effect in analogue black holes, nearly 40 years after Unruh's theoretical proposal. Remarkably, the absolute majority of theoretical analyses that establish such analogies are based in systems without vorticity. In this project, we propose to change the paradigm and explore the effects of vorticity in analogue models of Gravity. One of our objectives is to obtain rigorous analogies between wave propagation in curved spacetimes and systems with vorticity. Effects such as Hawking radiation, superradiance, the instability of the ergosphere, quasinormal oscillations and stationary clouds will be investigated. This project is multidisciplinary, bringing together Gravity and other areas of Physics (such as Fluid Dynamics and Condensed Matter). (AU)