Analog Hawking Radiation on a 156-Qubit Superconducting Processor: Spatial Localization, Temporal Dynamics, and Multi-Universe Validation

We report the first experimental observation of analog Hawking radiation signatures on a 156-qubit superconducting quantum processor (IBM Heron R2). Using a spatially-varying XY spin chain with engineered coupling profile J (x) = J₀1 - κ·tanh ( (x-xₕ) /w), we create an analog event horizon where excitation transport is kinematically forbidden. Our Multi-Horizon Interleaved Layout (MHIL) architecture enables up to four simultaneous "Hawking universes" with O (1) circuit depth scaling, achieving 156-qubit operation in only 44 transpiled layers. We demonstrate: (i) spatial localization of entanglement flux at the analog horizon with ratio Fₕ/Ffar = 83. 2× under optimized error mitigation (44. 3× under standard reproducible conditions) ; (ii) temporal causality with monotonic signal development (R² > 0. 99) ; (iii) the characteristic ⟨XX⟩ ≈ -⟨YY⟩ anti-correlation signature (r = 0. 997) consistent with squeezed pair production; and (iv) effective temperature scaling β ∝ 1/κ consistent with the Hawking relation. Statistical validation via shuffle control demonstrates 91. 6% signal degradation under random bit permutation (p < 0. 001), providing strong evidence that the observed signal relies on multi-qubit spatial correlations consistent with XY dynamics. Multi-scale validation across 20-80 qubits confirms 100% peak position accuracy at the horizon. We emphasize that our results demonstrate kinematic analogs—spatial localization and pair-correlation signatures—not thermodynamic Hawking temperature. The bond correlator F (link) = ⟨XX⟩ + ⟨YY⟩ serves as a transport proxy; Bell-CHSH analysis yields S ≈ 0. 4 < 2, confirming correlations without certified entanglement. All experimental data, including IBM Quantum job identifiers, are provided for independent verification. Key Results (Bullet Summary for Cover Letter) 156-qubit Hawking analog — Largest quantum simulation of analog Hawking radiation to date 83. 2× flux localization ratio — Order of magnitude above detection threshold (10×) O (1) depth scaling — MHIL architecture enables 20→156 qubit scaling in constant depth 91. 6% shuffle validation — Rigorous statistical control ruling out marginal artifacts Multi-scale reproducibility — Validated across Mini (20q), Medium (40q), Large (80q) configurations Full transparency — All IBM Quantum job IDs provided for external verification PACS / Subject Codes 03. 67. Ac (Quantum algorithms, protocols, and simulations) 04. 70. Dy (Quantum aspects of black holes, evaporation, thermodynamics) 75. 10. Pq (Spin chain models)