Time Dependence of Particle Creation from Accelerating Mirrors

Abstract

Particle production due to a quantized, massless, minimally coupled scalar eld in two-dimensional at spacetime with an accelerating mirror is investigated, with a focus on the time dependence of the process. We analyze rst the classes of trajectories previously investigated by Carlitz and Willey and by Walker and Davies. We then analyze four new classes of trajectories, all of which can be expressed analytically and for which several ancillary properties can be derived analytically. The time dependence is investigated through the use of wave packets for the modes of the quantized eld that are in the out vacuum state. It is shown for most of the trajectories studied that good time resolution of the particle production process can be obtained.