A novel test of Lorentz violation in the photon sector with an LC circuit

Abstract

In the presence of an external magnetic field, the Carroll-Field-Jackiw term introduces a displacement current proportional to the Lorentz-violating background that induces a time-dependent magnetic field. Axion-like particles or hidden photons could generate an analogous signal, potentially detectable with the set-up suggested by Sikivie, Tanner and Sullivan - a sensitive magnetometer coupled to a superconducting LC circuit. We show that a similar set-up, but with an externally driven pick-up loop whose area varies harmonically at $\sim$ Hz, can be used to probe the spatial components of the Lorentz-violating background to the level of $\lesssim 10^{-31}$ GeV. This is eight orders of magnitude more sensitive than previous laboratory-based limits.

6 pages, 1 figure, matches published version