Prospects of performing Lorentz invariance tests with VHE emission from pulsars

Abstract

Gamma-ray observations provide sensitive tests of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV). At present the most sensitive tests come from observations of transient events, gamma-ray bursts and flaring AGN. Disadvantages of transients are that an independent confirmation by a different experiment is often not possible and that limits cannot be improved with a longer exposure. Pulsars do not have these disadvantages. Testing Lorentz invariance with pulsars was not considered seriously so far because limits were not competitive. The VERITAS collaboration has recently reported the detection of pulsed emission from the Crab pulsar above 100 GeV. This measurement can be used to constrain LIV effects with a sensitivity that is competitive with some of the best available limits. In view of this unexpected result we discuss what the prospects are of doing LIV tests with very-high energy gamma-ray emission from pulsars.

arXiv comment4 pages, proceedings of the 32nd ICRC, Beijing

References in corpus (4)

• The Physics of Gamma-Ray Bursts
• Design Concepts for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
• Detection of Pulsed Gamma Rays Above 100 GeV from the Crab Pulsar
• Search for Lorentz Invariance breaking with a likelihood fit of the PKS 2155-304 flare data taken on MJD 53944

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Dark Matter and Fundamental Physics with the Cherenkov Telescope Array
• Probing Quantum Gravity with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes
• Highlights from VERITAS on VHE Gamma-ray Sources in our Galaxy
• Observing the Energetic Universe at Very High Energies with the VERITAS Gamma Ray Observatory
• Tests of Lorentz Invariance Violation with Gamma Rays to probe Quantum Gravity
• Potential constrains on Lorentz invariance violation from the HAWC TeV gamma-rays
• Fundamental Physics with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes