Molecular entanglement as a signature of the Unruh effect

Abstract

The Unruh effect predicts that a uniformly accelerated observer perceives the vacuum seen by an inertial observer as a thermal bath at a temperature proportional to its proper acceleration. This phenomenon is often regarded as a flat spacetime ``cousin" of Hawking radiation. In this Letter, we first study the entanglement dynamics of a quantum system composed of two polarizable two-level subsystems undergoing centripetal acceleration in a vacuum. We demonstrate that the system's steady state can be entangled irrespective of the initial state, a distinct characteristic attributable to the circular manifestation of the Unruh effect. Through meticulous analysis, we then propose that this phenomenon can feasibly be detected using state-of-the-art optomechanical technologies, particularly with a quantum system of two molecules.