KINEMATICAL SOLUTION OF THE UHE-COSMIC-RAY PUZZLE WITHOUT A PREFERRED CLASS OF INERTIAL OBSERVERS

Abstract

Among the possible explanations for the puzzling observations of cosmic rays above the GZK cutoff there is growing interest in the ones that represent kinematical solutions, based either on general formulations of particle physics with small violations of Lorentz symmetry or on a quantum-gravity-motivated scheme for the breakdown of Lorentz symmetry. An unappealing aspect of these cosmic-ray-puzzle solutions is that they require the existence of a preferred class of inertial observers. Here I propose a new kinematical solution of the cosmic-ray puzzle, which does not require the existence of a preferred class of inertial observers. My proposal is a new example of a type of relativistic theories, the so-called "doubly-special-relativity" theories, which have already been studied extensively over the last two years. The core ingredient of the proposal is a deformation of Lorentz transformations in which also the Planck scale Ep (in addition to the speed-of-light scale c) is described as an invariant. Just like the introduction of the invariant c requires a deformation of the Galileian transformations into the Lorentz transformations, the introduction of the invariant Ep requires a deformation of the Lorentz transformations, but there is no special class of inertial observers. The Pierre Auger Observatory and the GLAST space telescope should play a key role in future developments of these investigations. I also emphasize that the doubly-special-relativity theory here proposed, besides providing a solution for the cosmic-ray puzzle, is also the first doubly-special-relativity theory with a natural description of macroscopic bodies, and may find applications in the context of a recently-proposed dark-energy scenario.