Lorentz violation induced vacuum birefringence and its astrophysical consequences

Abstract

In the electromagnetism of loop quantum gravity, two helicities of a photon have different phase velocities and group velocities, termed as "vacuum birefringence". Two novel phenomenons, "peak doubling" and "de-polarization", are expected to appear for a linearly polarized light from astrophysical sources. We show that the criteria to observe these two phenomenons are the same. Further, from recently observed $\gamma$-ray polarization from Cygnus X-1, we obtain an upper limit $\sim 8.7\times 10^{-12}$ for Lorentz-violating parameter $\chi$, which is the most firm constraint from well-known systems. We also suggest to analyze possible existence of "peak doubling" through Fermi LAT GRBs.

4 latex pages, 2 figures, short version for publication in PRD. For a detailed long version, please look at the first version of this arXiv paperarXiv:1104.4438v1

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• Remarks on the Aharonov-Casher dynamics in a CPT-odd Lorentz-violating background
• Light Speed Variation in a String Theory Model for Space-Time Foam
• Lorentz Violation in the Higgs Sector and Noncommutative Standard Model
• On the Aharonov-Casher scattering in a CPT-odd Lorentz-violating background
• Light Speed Variation with Brane/String-Inspired Space-Time Foam
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• The Phantom of the OPERA: Superluminal Neutrinos
• A Theoretical Diagnosis on Light Speed Anisotropy from GRAAL Experiment
• Note on a new fundamental length scale $l$ instead of the Newtonian constant $G$
• Birefringence induced by pp-wave modes in an electromagnetically active dynamic aether
• New Chance for Researches on Lorentz Violation
• Probing the interference between non-linear, axionic and space-time-anisotropy effects in the QED vacuum
• Free-fall Rainbow BTZ Black Hole
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• Challenges Confronting Superluminal Neutrino Models
• Probes for String-Inspired Foam, Lorentz, and CPT Violations in Astrophysics
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• Constraining Einstein's Equivalence Principle With Multi-Wavelength Observations of Polarized Blazars
• Consistency analysis of a CPT-even and CPT-odd lorentz-violating effective field theory in the electrodynamics at Planck scale by an influence of a background isotropic field
• The optical analogy between a Lorentz-violating cosmos and a Magneto-Electric medium