Ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray bounds on nonbirefringent modified-Maxwell theory
arXiv:0709.2502 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.77.016002
Abstract
A particularly simple Lorentz-violating modification of the Maxwell theory of photons maintains gauge invariance, CPT, and renormalization. This modified-Maxwell theory, coupled to standard Dirac particles, involves nineteen dimensionless "deformation parameters." Ten of these parameters lead to birefringence and are already tightly constrained by astrophysics. New bounds on the remaining nine nonbirefringent parameters can be obtained from the absence of vacuum Cherenkov radiation for ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). Using selected UHECR events recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory and assigning pseudo-random directions (i.e., assuming large-scale isotropy), Cherenkov bounds are found at the 10^{-18} level, which improve considerably upon current laboratory bounds. Future UHECR observations may reduce these Cherenkov bounds to the 10^{-23} level. An Addendum with two-sided bounds has been published separately [Phys. Rev. D 77, 117901 (2008), arXiv:0806.4351].
16 pages, v6: included reference to a published Addendum
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Cited by in corpus (19)
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- Addendum: Ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray bounds on nonbirefringent modified-Maxwell theory
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- Limits on isotropic Lorentz violation in QED from collider physics
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- Feynman propagator for the nonbirefringent CPT-even electrodynamics of the Standard Model Extension
- Emergent physics: Fermi point scenario
- Finite Temperature behavior of the CPT-even and parity-even electrodynamics of the Standard Model Extension
- Lorentz violation and black-hole thermodynamics
- Classical solutions for the Lorentz-violating and CPT-even term of the Standard Model Extension
- Limits on Neutron Lorentz Violation from the Stability of Primary Cosmic Ray Protons
- Stationary solutions for the parity-even sector of the CPT-even and Lorentz-covariance-violating term of the standard model extension
- Cosmological birefringent constraints on light
- Potential sensitivities to Lorentz violation from nonbirefringent modified Maxwell theory of Auger, HESS, and CTA
- Equilibrium boundary conditions, dynamic vacuum energy, and the Big Bang
- Fermi-point scenario for emergent gravity
- Small-Scale Structure of Spacetime: Bounds and Conjectures
- UHECR bounds on Lorentz violation in the photon sector