Possible Effects of Lorentz Symmetry Violation on the Interaction Properties of Very High-Energy Cosmic Rays

Abstract

Special relativity has been tested at low energy with great accuracy, but these results cannot be extrapolated to the very high-energy region. Introducing a critical distance scale, $a$ , below 10E-25 cm (the wavelength scale of the highest-energy observed cosmic rays) allows to consider models, compatible with standard tests of special relativity, where a small violation of Lorentz symmetry ($a$ can, for instance, be the Planck length, around 10E-33 cm) produces dramatic effects on the interaction properties of very high-energy particles. Lorentz symmetry violation may potentially solve all the basic problems raised by the highest-energy cosmic rays (origin and energy, propagation...). Furthermore, superluminal sectors of matter may exist and release very high-energy ordinary particles or directly produce very high-energy cosmic-ray events with unambiguous signatures in very large detectors. We discuss these phenomena, as well as the cosmic-ray energy range (well below the energy scale associated to the fundamental length) and experiments where they could be detected and studied.

LaTex, 4 pages, contribution to the Pre-Conference Workshops of the 25th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Durban (South Africa), July 28 - August 8 , 1997

References in corpus (4)

• Physical and Cosmological Implications of a Possible Class of Particles Able to Travel Faster than Light
• Absence of Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin Cutoff and Stability of Unstable Particles at Very High Energy, as a Consequence of Lorentz Symmetry Violation
• Superluminal Particles and High-Energy Cosmic Rays
• Lorentz Symmetry Violation and Very High-Energy Cross Sections

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Cosmic rays and tests of fundamental principles
• Superbradyons and some possible dark matter signatures
• Lorentz Symmetry Violation and Superluminal Particles at Future Colliders
• Lorentz violation, vacuum, cosmic rays, superbradyons and Pamir data
• Lorentz Symmetry Violation, Vacuum and Superluminal Particles