Orbital angular momentum spectrum and entanglement in a rotating accelerated reference frame

Abstract

The particle definition varies across different theories. The quantum field theory in curved spacetime shows that from the perspective of a linearly accelerated observer, an inertial empty space may be full of thermal particles. This effect is known as the Unruh effect. When the degrees of freedom of orbital angular momentum (OAM) are considered, all OAM modes share the same expected particle number. Here, we examine the OAM spectrum in a rotating accelerated reference frame to see how the spectrum differs from the linear accelerated case. When the observer starts to rotate, not all OAM modes are allowed and some negative energy modes show up. To understand how a rotating accelerated observer actually perceives these particles, the Unruh-DeWitt detector and its detailed balance are studied. This relation is studied both in the comoving inertial frame and in the rest frame. Based on these results, the OAM entanglement degradation is explored in two-dimensional and high-dimensional cases, respectively. The results indicate that the entanglement dimension and the highest order of OAM modes are mainly related to the acceleration and the rotation, respectively. It is then demonstrated that these results can be generalized to all stationary trajectories.