Laser pulse analogues for gravity and analogue Hawking radiation

Intense pulses of light may be used to create an effective flowing medium which mimics certain properties of black hole physics. It is possible to create the analogues of black and white hole horizons and a photon emission is predicted that is analogous to Hawking radiation. We give an overview of the current state of the art in the field of analogue gravity with laser pulses and of its implications and applications for optics.