Essay Abstract
The equivalence principle is the conceptual basis for our best theory of gravity, general relativity. To date there has been no definitive, experimental evidence for a problem with general relativity as the proper theory of gravity. In this essay we present a thought experiment, involving the quantum effects of Hawking and Unruh radiation, which indicates a violation of the equivalence principle. The way in which the equivalence principle is violated by this thought experiment points toward a possible way to resolve some of the short comings of general relativity - the lack of a consistent quantum theory of gravity and the existence of singularities in black hole space-times.
Author Bio
The author completed his SB degree in physics at MIT and obtained his PhD from the University of Virginia. He taught physics for one year at a high school while also working as a parking garage attendant, before moving to Virginia Commonwealth University for three years as a lecturer. In 1998 he moved to California State University, Fresno. He has held visiting faculty positions at Peoples' Friendship University Russia in 2004 and 2009 and at the Universidad de Costa Rica in 2005. His recent work has focused on quantum fields in gravitational backgrounds.