Resumo: The concept of a horizon from general relativity describes the
loss of causal connection. Bose-Einstein condensates, a priori very
distinct from cosmological scenarios due to its non-gravitational nature,
may remarkably provide a stage to observe relativistic effects. The
connection between these two worlds is established by the identification
of a matter-wave metric in Bose-Einstein condensates. In this (very
informal and humble) talk, we try to motivate and discuss a little about
the underlying analogy. We start by giving a simple overview on BEC
physics, covering the basic theoretical tools used in the description of
its dynamics. We argue that the existence of an effective space-time
metric can be directly associated with the superfluid character of a BEC.
Some consequences of the present analogy, such as the emergence of sonic
horizons and theoretical evidence of Hawking radiation are discussed.
|