Lorentz Violation for Photons and Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic Rays

Journal Article · Fri Jan 18 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.100.021102· OSTI ID:21020926

Galaverni, Matteo ^[1]; Sigl, Guenter ^[2]

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1. INAF-IASF Bologna, via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy)
2. II. Institut fuer theoretische Physik, Universitaet Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany) and APC (AstroParticules et Cosmologie), 10, rue Alice Domon et Leonie Duquet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13 (France)

Lorentz symmetry breaking at very high energies may lead to photon dispersion relations of the form {omega}{sup 2}=k{sup 2}+{xi}{sub n}k{sup 2}(k/M{sub Pl}){sup n} with new terms suppressed by a power n of the Planck mass M{sub Pl}. We show that first and second order terms of size |{xi}{sub 1}| > or approx. 10{sup -14} and {xi}{sub 2} < or approx -10{sup -6}, respectively, would lead to a photon component in cosmic rays above 10{sup 19} eV that should already have been detected, if corresponding terms for e{sup {+-}} are significantly smaller. This suggests that LI breaking suppressed up to second order in the Planck scale is unlikely to be phenomenologically viable for photons.

• OSTI ID: 21020926
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 100, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.021102; (c) 2008 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
COSMIC PHOTONS
COSMIC RADIATION
DISPERSION RELATIONS
LORENTZ INVARIANCE
SYMMETRY BREAKING