First Acoustic Black Hole Created

KentuckyFC writes "One of the many curious properties of Bose Einstein Condensates (BECs) is that the flow of sound through them is governed by the same equations that describe how light is bent by a gravitational field. Now, a group of Israeli physicists have exploited this idea to create an acoustic black hole in a BEC. The team created a supersonic flow of atoms within the BEC, a flow that prevents any phonon caught in it from making headway. The region where the flow changes from subsonic to supersonic is an event horizon, because any phonon unlucky enough to stray into the supersonic region can never escape. The real prize is not the acoustic black hole itself but what it makes possible: the first observation of Hawking radiation. Quantum mechanics predicts that pairs of phonons with opposite momentum ought to be constantly springing in and out of existence in a BEC. Were one of the pair to stray across the event horizon into the supersonic region, it could never escape. However, the other would be free to go on its way. This stream of phononic radiation away from an acoustic black hole would be the first observation of Hawking radiation. The team hasn't gotten that far yet, but it can't be long now before either they or their numerous competitors make this leap."

Comments

And the news is where?

[Opportunist]

I got a shot Bose amp here, and any sound you put in turns into silence. Voila, accustic black hole.

I'd sell this baby for cheap, too!

Re:And the news is where?

[goombah99]

I'm giving my Bosewave radio new respect and standing a couple steps away from it just in case.

Re:And the news is where?

[Hurricane78]

I think "Bose" is just the American way to write "Böse", which is German for "evil". Fits pretty well, doesn't it? *puts on double-layered tinfoil overall*

I guess this proves...

[thewiz]

that in space, no one can hear you scre...

Re:I guess this proves...

[Abreu]

Actually, I have another reference to make...

So, does this mean that the octirion bells in Unseen University clock tower emit Hawking Radiation?

at last, the dream is realized!

[Tumbleweed]

"In one ear and out the other."

Re:at last, the dream is realized!

[damien_kane]

"In one ear and out the other."

Except that, in this case, it went in one ear and got stuck.

86 says

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's use the cone of silence, chief!

I buy it

[oldhack]

I need one of these for one of my neighbors. Does it swallow people and dogs, too? Cuz that'd be really good.

DONT DO IT SCIENTISTS!

[nausea_malvarma]

You'll create a BLACK HOLE that ENGULFS THE EARTH! Just like the LHC!

Re:DONT DO IT SCIENTISTS!

[Ukab the Great]

Or even worse, the Earth will continue to exist and be entirely populated by mimes.

Re:So...Bose sucks?

[bFusion]

It's like Monster Cables for speakers.

Acoustic Black Hole

[ronfuller]

now we know how they made the "cone of silence" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_of_Silence

Is it me or does this story scream Spinal Tap?

[revjtanton]

"Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven."
"Nigel Tufnel: It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black. "

Re:Is it me or does this story scream Spinal Tap?

[revjtanton]

You sir are a genius! If these "scientists" try and display this one day to the public or for a nobel prize panel you should show up with the power of rock and destroy their evil!

Re:Is it me or does this story scream Spinal Tap?

[PGOER]

Now, this is sounding like Yahoo Serious - Young Einstien (real Stupid Funny movie) Were talking splittling beer atoms to power the worlds first electric guitar, and lets not forget the oversized speaker from Back to the Future. Let me tell you there is NO WAY that an accoustic black hole can withstand a 8' speaker, fed from an amp that goes to eleven, and powered by beer atom fission! We're talking, fucking, muscle.

Great

[segfault7375]

Sweet, now I just have to trick my wife into standing in it.. ah peace

Acoustic black hole...

[soconn]

Isn't that the name of the new Britney Spears album?

Re:Weaponize it and use it against car stereos.

[StikyPad]

I'm bassuming there's an unintended 'B' in that sentence..

Not so fast...

[fahrbot-bot]

The first Acoustic Black Hole was actually created back in 1981.

Re:maybe we can use this to...

[lgw]

Yes, when will humanity invent this mysterious technology that allows us to avoid reality TV and cable news? This device, known to SciFi writers as the "off switch" may forever be the stuff of fiction.

Re:Not the first Acoustic Black Hole

[lennier]

Little known science fact: the LHC *is* a bathtub, and the Compact Muon Solenoid is merely a frontage for a giant yellow rubber duck.

This will all be explored in Dan Brown's upcoming novel.