We are currently running an experiment to study effects occurring around effective horizons in analogue gravity systems, such as the Hawking and superradiant scattering process. To address this issue experimentally, we utilize the analogy between waves on the surface of a stationary draining fluid flow and the behaviour of classical and quantum field excitations nearby rotating black holes. 

 

The experiment is based at the University of Nottingham (Nottingham, UK):

  Silke Weinfurtner (University of Nottingham)

  Daniel Goodfellow (University of Nottingham)

  

  

 

External collaborators on various experimental aktivities taking place in our laboratory in Nottingham:

  Josef Niemela (ICTP) 

  Stefano Liberati (SISSA)

  Mauricio Richartz (ABC, Brasil) 

  Angus Prain (Heriot Watt, UK)

  Vitor Cardoso (Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal) 

  Ted Tedford (UBC, Vancouver, Canada)

  Matt Penrice (ICTP, University of Trieste)

 

We have also established a collaboration with the start-up company EnShape in based in Jena, Germany. 

  

 

 

Relevant literature:

 

• Vortex geometry for the equatorial slice of the Kerr black hole
  by Matt Visser and Silke Weinfurtner
   

• Generalised superradiant scattering
  by Mauricio Richartz, Silke Weinfurtner, A. J. Penner and W. G. Unruh
   

• Superradiant scattering of dispersive fields
  by Maurício Richartz, Angus Prain, Silke Weinfurtner and Stefano Liberati
   

• Rotating black holes in a draining bathtub: superradiant scattering of gravity waves
  by Mauricio Richartz, Angus Prain, Stefano Liberati, Silke Weinfurtner

Experimental setup

Testing superradiant scattering in a table-top experiment

Hydrodynamic simulations of rotating black holes

The SISSA medialab has filmed our experiment while it was still placed in Trieste (Italy). The video is mostly in Italian, but the interviews with the various people involved are in English (with Italian subtitles).