Effect of finite travel distance on particle creation

Determine whether restricting an asymptotically static rectilinear trajectory to a finite total travel distance alters quantum particle creation (including the particle spectrum and total particle count) compared to trajectories that travel an infinite distance, in the context of moving-mirror analogs and their accelerated-charge counterparts.

Background

The paper reviews asymptotically resting worldlines used to paper acceleration radiation and their moving-mirror analogs. Only one known asymptotically static mirror trajectory that travels a finite distance (‘Arctx’) exists, but it cannot be simultaneously solved for Bogolyubov coefficients and parametrized by maximum speed, hindering analysis of its spectrum.

Within this context, the authors note a gap in understanding: whether confining the motion to a finite spatial region impacts particle creation. They introduce a new, parametrized finite-distance worldline and explore its radiation properties, but the quoted sentence highlights the explicit uncertainty about the general effect of finite travel on particle creation.