We consider different renormalizable models of Lorentz invariance violation. We show that the limits on birefringence of the propagation of cosmic microwave background photons from the five year data of the Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe (WMAP) can be translated into a limit of Lorentz symmetry violation. The obtained limits on Lorentz invariance violation are stronger than other published limits. We also cast them in terms of limits on a birefringent effective photo "mass" and on a polarization dependence of the speed of light.
It seems that new WMAP data requires a fit with a primordial spectrum containig small negative tilt index in addition to the featureless Harrison-Zeldovich- Peebles spectrum thus implying a broken scale invariance. We show that the data could be otherwise interpreted by a scale invariant primordial spectrum with the scale non-invariant evolution of density contrast using the Press-Schechter formalism. The estimate of the acceleration parameter, as a source of the inhomogeneity of spacetime, is made by searching for the minima of the deviation measure defined by the Press-Schechter mass functio…
We reconstruct the primordial spectrum of the curvature perturbation, $P(k)$, from the observational data of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) by the cosmic inversion method developed recently. In contrast to conventional parameter-fitting methods, our method can potentially reproduce small features in $P(k)$ with good accuracy. As a result, we obtain a complicated oscillatory $P(k)$. We confirm that this reconstructed $P(k)$ recovers the WMAP angular power spectrum with resolution up to $Δ\ell \simeq 5$. Similar oscillatory features are found, however, in simulations using artif…
The observed clustering of ultra-high energy cosmic rays suggests the existence of a neutral component. The models with violation of Lorentz invariance may explain this component by neutrons becoming stable above some threshold energy E_0. The protons, in turn, may become unstable above some energy E_1>E_0. We calculate the dependence of the threshold energies E_0 and E_1 on the parameters of the model and find E_1/E_0\gsim 1.5. We argue that the characteristic threshold behavior of charged and neutral components may be used as the specific signature of models with violation of Lorentz invaria…
We search for signatures of Lorentz and $CPT$ violations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropies by using the WMAP and the 2003 flight of BOOMERANG (B03) data. We note that if the Lorentz and $CPT$ symmetries are broken by a Chern-Simons term in the effective lagrangian, which couples the dual electromagnetic field strength tensor to an external four-vector, the polarization vectors of propagating CMB photons will get rotated. Using the WMAP data alone, one could put an interesting constraint on the size of such a term. Combined with the B03 data, we …
Extremely high-energy(EHE) cosmic rays might provide a chance to check a violation of the Lorentz symmetry of spacetime. Some theoretical consideration is described about why the Lorentz symmetry might break-down in EHE phenomena in this universe. Some models which introduce the violation of the Lorentz symmetry will be discussed.
One possible feature of quantum gravity may be the violation of Lorentz invariance. In this paper we consider one particular manifestation of the violation of Lorentz invariance, namely modified dispersion relations for massive neutrinos. We show how such modified dispersion relations may affect atmospheric neutrino oscillations. We then consider how neutrino telescopes, such as ANTARES, may be able to place bounds on the magnitude of this type of Lorentz invariance violation.
The Standard Model Extension formulated by Colladay and Kostelecký is reviewed in the framework of the $^4He$ primordial abundance. Upper bounds on coefficients for the Lorentz violation are derived using the present observational data.
Reconstructing the shape of the primordial power spectrum in a model independent way from cosmological data is a useful consistency check on what is usually assumed regarding early universe physics. It is also our primary window to unknown physics during the inflationary era. Using a power-law form for the primordial power spectrum $P_{in}(k)$ and constraining the scalar spectral index and its running, \cite{Peiris03} found that the first year WMAP data seem to indicate a preferred scale in $P_{in}(k)$. We use two complementary methods: the wavelet band powers method of \cite{pia1}, and the to…
The violation of Lorentz invariance (LI) has been invoked in a number of ways to explain issues dealing with ultrahigh energy cosmic ray (UHECR) production and propagation. These treatments, however, have mostly been limited to examples in the proton-neutron system and photon-electron system. In this paper we show how a broader violation of Lorentz invariance would allow for a series of previously forbidden decays to occur, and how that could lead to UHECR primaries being heavy baryonic states or Higgs bosons.
We analyze the consequences of violation of Lorentz and $CPT$ invariance in the massless neutrino sector by deforming the canonical anti-commutation relations for the fields. We show that, for particular choices of the deformation, oscillation between massless neutrino species takes place when only Lorentz invariance is violated. On the other hand, if both Lorentz and $CPT$ invariances are violated, we show that there is no oscillation between massless neutrino species. Comparing with the existing experimental data on neutrino oscillations, we obtain bounds on the parameter for Lorentz invaria…
It was recently suggested that possible small volations of Lorentz invariance could explain the existence of UHECR beyond the GZK cutoff and the observations of multi-TeV gamma-rays from Mkn 501. Our analysis of Lorentz-violating kinematics shows that in addition to the modified threshold conditions solving cosmic ray puzzles we should expect a strong suppression of electromagnetic processes like bremsstrahlung and pair creation. This leads to drastic effects in electron-photon cascade development in the atmosphere and in detectors.
Motivated by ideas about quantum gravity, a tremendous amount of effort over the past decade has gone into testing Lorentz invariance in various regimes. This review summarizes both the theoretical frameworks for tests of Lorentz invariance and experimental advances that have made new high precision tests possible. The current constraints on Lorentz violating effects from both terrestrial experiments and astrophysical observations are presented.
It is shown that, in spite of the appearances, the standard expression for the oscillation probability of ultrarelativistic neutrinos is Lorentz invariant.
We use the recent reanalysis of multi-TeV gamma-ray observations of Mrk 501 to constrain the Lorentz invariance breaking parameter involving the maximum electron velocity. Our limit is two orders of magnitude better than that obtained from the maximum observed cosmic-ray electron energy.
We examine what the absorbed spectra of extra-galactic TeV gamma-ray sources, such as blazars, would look like in the presence of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV). Pair-production with the extra-galactic background light modifies the observed spectra of such sources, and we show that a violation of Lorentz invariance would generically have a dramatic effect on this absorption feature. Inspecting this effect, an experimental task likely practical in the near future, can provide unique insight on the possibility of LIV.
We propose that local Lorentz invariance is spontaneously violated at high energies, due to a nonvanishing vacuum expectation value of a vector field ϕ^μ, as a possible explanation of the observation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays with an energy above the GZK cutoff. Certain consequences of spontaneous breaking of Lorentz invariance in cosmology are discussed.
An analysis of soft breaking under the constraint of modular invariance is given. The role of dilaton and moduli dependent front factors in achieving a modular invariant $V_{soft}$ is emphasized. Further, it is shown that in string models $\tanβ$ is no longer a free parameter but is determined in terms of $α_{string}$ and the other soft parameters by the constraints of modular invariance and radiative electroweak symmetry breaking. The above framework is then used to analyze the neutralino relic density consistent with the WMAP data at self dual points in the Kahler and complex structure modul…
We show for the first time that the induced parity--even Lorentz invariance violation can be unambiguously calculated in the physically justified and minimally broken dimensional regularization scheme, suitably tailored for a spontaneous Lorentz symmetry breaking in a field theory model. The quantization of the Lorentz invariance violating quantum electrodynamics is critically examined and shown to be consistent either for a light--like cosmic anisotropy axial--vector or for a time--like one, when in the presence of a bare photon mass.
We consider a Lorentz non-invariant dispersion relation for the neutrino, which would produce unexpected effects with neutrinos of few eV, exactly where the tritium beta-decay anomaly is found. We use this anomaly to put bounds on the violation of Lorentz invariance. We discuss other consequences of this non-invariant dispersion relation in neutrino experiments and high-energy cosmic-ray physics.
Contrary to what is often stated, a fundamental spacetime discreteness need not contradict Lorentz invariance. A causal set's discreteness is in fact locally Lorentz invariant, and we recall the reasons why. For illustration, we introduce a phenomenological model of massive particles propagating in a Minkowski spacetime which arises from an underlying causal set. The particles undergo a Lorentz invariant diffusion in phase space, and we speculate on whether this could have any bearing on the origin of high energy cosmic rays.
This contribution reviews recent work on a new approach to the cosmological constant problem, which starts from the macroscopic behavior of a conserved relativistic microscopic variable q. First, the statics of the vacuum energy density is discussed and, then, the dynamics in a cosmological context.
