Abstract: Ultracold atoms and their non-equilibrium evolution present an ideal platform to study fundamental processes of quantum field theory and the relaxation dynamics of quantum many-body systems. Here, I will present recent results and future prospects for analogue quantum simulators based on effective field theory descriptions. In particular, I will discuss the measurement of the analogue circular Unruh effect via local interferometric two-frequency detectors [1,2]. The continuous non-destructive measurements of cold atom systems paves the way to study this fundamental and yet still untested prediction of quantum field theory, that a linearly accelerated observer in the vacuum observes a thermal state at the Unruh-temperature.

[1] C. Gooding, S. Biermann, S. Erne, J. Louko, W. G. Unruh, J. Schmiedmayer, S. Weinfurtner, Phys. Rev. Let. 125 213603 (2020)
[2] S. Biermann, S. Erne, C. Gooding, J. Louko, J. Schmiedmayer, W. G. Unruh, S. Weinfurtner, Phys. Rev. D 102 085006 (2020)