Lorentz Invariance Violation Effects Research Articles

Stringent Tests of Lorentz Invariance Violation from LHAASO Observations of GRB 221009A.

On 9 October 2022, the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) reported the observation of the very early TeV afterglow of the brightest-of-all-time gamma-ray burst 221009A, recording the highest photon statistics in the TeV band ever obtained from a gamma-ray burst. We use this unique observation to place stringent constraints on the energy dependence of the speed of light in vacuum, a manifestation of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) predicted by some quantum gravity (QG) theories. Our results show that the 95% confidence level lower limits on the QG energy scales are E_{QG,1}>10 times the Planck energy E_{Pl} for the linear LIV effect, and E_{QG,2}>6×10^{-8}E_{Pl} for the quadratic LIV effect. Our limits on the quadratic LIV case improve previous best bounds by factors of 5-7.

Separating source-intrinsic and Lorentz invariance violation induced delays in the very high-energy emission of blazar flares

The aim of the present study is to explore how to disentangle energy-dependent time delays due to a possible Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) at Planck scale from intrinsic delays expected in standard blazar flares. We first characterised the intrinsic time delays in BL Lacs and flat-spectrum radio quasars in standard one-zone time-dependent synchrotron self-Compton or external Compton models, during flares produced by particle acceleration and cooling processes. We simulated families of flares with both intrinsic and external LIV-induced energy-dependent delays. Discrimination between intrinsic and LIV delays is then investigated in two different ways. A technique based on Euclidean distance calculation between delays obtained in the synchrotron and in the inverse-Compton spectral bumps is used to assess their degree of correlation. A complementary study is performed using spectral hardness versus intensity diagrams in both energy ranges. We show that the presence of non-negligible LIV effects, which essentially act only at very high energy (VHE), can drastically reduce the strong correlation expected between the X-ray and the VHE gamma-ray emission in leptonic scenarios. The LIV phenomenon can then be hinted at measuring the Euclidean distance $d_ E $ from simultaneous X-ray and gamma-ray flare monitoring. Large values of minimum distance $d_ E,min $ would directly indicate the influence of non-intrinsic time delays possibly due to LIV in SSC flares. LIV effects can also significantly modify the VHE hysteresis patterns in hardness-intensity diagrams and even change their direction of rotation compared to the X-ray behaviour. Both observables could be used to discriminate between LIV and intrinsic delays, provided high-quality flare observations are available.

Constraints on Lorentz invariance violation from the LHAASO observation of GRB 221009A

In some quantum gravity (QG) theories, Lorentz symmetry may be broken above the Planck scale. The Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) may induce observable effects at low energies and be detected at high energy astrophysical measurements.The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) has detected the onset, rise, and decay phases of the afterglow of GRB 221009A, covering a wide energy range of photons approximately from 0.2 to 13 TeV. This observation provides an excellent opportunity to study the Lorentz invariance violation effect. In this study, we simultaneously utilize the data from the KM2A and WCDA detectors of LHAASO, and apply two event by event methods, namely the pair view method and maximum likelihood method, to investigate LIV. We obtain stringent constraints on the QG energy scale. For instance, through the maximum likelihood method, we determine the 95% confidence level lower limits to be E QG,1 > 14.7 (6.5) × 1019 GeV for the subluminal (superluminal) scenario of n = 1, and E QG,2 > 12.0 (7.2) × 1011 GeV for the subluminal (superluminal) scenario of n = 2. We find that the rapid rise and slow decay behaviors of the afterglow can impose strong constraints on the subluminal scenario, while the constraints are weaker for the superluminal scenario.

Investigating the Lorentz invariance violation effect using different cosmological backgrounds

Familiar concepts in physics, such as Lorentz symmetry, are expected to be broken at energies approaching the Planck energy scale as predicted by several quantum-gravity theories. However, such very large energies are unreachable by current experiments on Earth. Current and future Cherenkov telescope facilities may have the capability to measure the accumulated deformation from Lorentz symmetry for photons traveling over large distances via energy-dependent time delays. One of the best natural laboratories to test Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) signatures are gamma-ray bursts. The calculation of time delays due to the LIV effect depends on the cosmic expansion history. In most of the previous works calculating time lags due to the LIV effect, the standard ΛCDM (or concordance) cosmological model is assumed. In this paper, we investigate whether the LIV signature is significantly different when assuming alternatives to the ΛCDM cosmological model. Specifically, we consider cosmological models with a non-trivial dark-energy equation of state (EoS) (), such as the standard Chevallier–Polarski–Linder parameterization, the quadratic parameterization of the dark-energy EoS, and the Pade parameterizations. We find that the relative difference in the predicted time lags is small, of the order of at most a few percent, and thus likely smaller than the systematic errors of possible measurements currently or in the near future.

Investigating the effects of Lorentz Invariance Violation on the CP-sensitivities of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

The phenomena of neutrino oscillations offer a great potential for probing new-physics beyond the Standard Model. Any additional effects on neutrino oscillations can help understand the nature of the non-standard effects. The violation of fundamental symmetries may appear as a probe for new-physics in various neutrino experiments. Lorentz symmetry is one such fundamental symmetry in nature and the breakdown of spacetime is a possible motivation for a departure from the standard Lorentz symmetry picture. The Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) is intrinsic in nature and its effects exist even in a vacuum. Neutrinos can be an intriguing probe for exploring such violations of Lorentz symmetry. The effect of violation of Lorentz invariance can be explored through its impact on the neutrino oscillation probabilities. The effect of LIV is treated as a perturbation to the standard neutrino Hamiltonian considering the Standard Model Extension (SME) framework. In this work, we have probed the effects of LIV on the measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters considering Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) as a case study. The inclusion of LIV affects the measurements of various neutrino oscillation parameters as it modifies the standard neutrino oscillation probabilities. We looked into the capability of DUNE in constraining the LIV parameters and then explored the impact of CPT-violating LIV terms on the mass-induced neutrino oscillation probabilities. We have also probed the impact of LIV parameters on the CP-measurement sensitivities at DUNE.

Prospects for the detection rate of very-high-energy γ-ray emissions from short γ-ray bursts with the HADAR experiment* *Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12263004, 12263005, 12275279).

The observation of short gamma ray bursts (SGRBs) in the TeV energy range plays an important role in understanding the radiation mechanism and probing potential new physics, such as Lorentz invariance violation (LIV). However, no SGRBs have been observed in this energy range owing to the short duration of SGRBs and the weakness of current experiments. New experiments with new technology are required to detect the very high energy (VHE) emission of SGRBs. In this study, we simulate the VHE γ-ray emissions from SGRBs and calculate the annual detection rate with the High Altitude Detection of Astronomical Radiation (HADAR) experiment. First, a set of pseudo-SGRB samples is generated and checked using the observations of the Fermi-GBM, Fermi-LAT, and Swift-BAT measurements. The annual detection rate is calculated from these SGRB samples based on the performance of the HADAR instrument. As a result, the HADAR experiment can detect 0.5 SGRBs per year if the spectral break-off of γ-rays caused by the internal absorption and Klein-Nishina (KN) effect is larger than 100 GeV. For a GRB090510-like GRB in HADAR's view, it should be possible to detect approximately 2000 photons considering the internal absorption and KN effect. With a time delay assumption due to LIV effects, a simulated light curve of GRB090510 has evident energy dependence. We hope that the HADAR experiment can perform SGRB observations and test our calculations in the future.

Expected signature for the Lorentz invariance violation effects on γ−γ absorption

There are still some significant and unanswered questions about the incredible very-high-energy $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray signatures. To help understand the mechanism, focusing on the linear and quadratic perturbation mode for the subluminal regime, we revisit the expected signature for the Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) effects on $\ensuremath{\gamma}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ absorption in the TeV spectra of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We note that there is a critical energy for the pair production process, which is sensitive to the assumed quantum gravity energy scale. We suggest that a reemergence of the energy spectrum of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays at several tens of TeV is a rough observational diagnostic for the LIV effects. The expected spectra characteristics are applied to GRB 221009A. The results show that the cosmic opacity with LIV effects considered here can roughly reproduce the observed $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectra for the source, which enables us to constrain the upper limit of the values of the energy scale to ${E}_{\mathrm{QG},1}\ensuremath{\le}3.35\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{20}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ for the linear perturbation and ${E}_{\mathrm{QG},2}\ensuremath{\le}9.19\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{12}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ for the quadratic perturbation. These scenarios lead to updated bounds on the LIV coefficient, with ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{1}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\ge}3.62\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ for the linear perturbation and ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{2}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\ge}1.33\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6}$ for the quadratic perturbation, in the standard model extension framework.

Search for exotic physics in double-β decays with GERDA Phase II

A search for Beyond the Standard Model double-β decay modes of 76Ge has been performed with data collected during the Phase II of the GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) experiment,located at the LaboratoriNazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN (Italy). Improved limits on the decays involving Majorons have been obtained, compared to previous experiments with 76Ge, with half-life values on the order of 1023 yr. For the first time with 76Ge, limits on Lorentz invariance violation effects in double-β decay have beenobtained. The isotropic coefficient åof (3), which embeds Lorentzviolation in double-β decay, has been constrained at the order of 10-6 GeV. We alsoset the first experimental limits on the search for light exotic fermions in double-β decay,including sterile neutrinos.

Spectral Lag Transition of 32 Fermi Gamma-Ray Bursts and Their Application on Constraining Lorentz Invariance Violation

The positive-to-negative transition of spectral lag is an uncommon feature reported in a small number of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). An application of such a feature has been made to constrain the critical quantum gravity energy (E QG) of the light photons under the hypothesis that the Lorentz invariance might be violated. Motivated by previous case studies, this paper systematically examined the up-to-date GRB sample observed by Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor for the lag transition feature to establish a comprehensive physical limit on the Lorentz invariance violation (LIV). This search resulted in 32 GRBs with redshift available, which exhibit the lag transition phenomenon. We first fit each of the lag–E relations of the 32 GRBs with an empirical smoothly broken power-law function, and found that the lag transition occurs typically at about 400 keV. We then implemented the LIV effect into the fit, which enabled us to constrain the lower limit of the linear and quadratic values of E QG, which are typically distributed at 1.5 × 1014 and 8 × 105 GeV, respectively.

LIV effects on the quantum stochastic motion in an acoustic FRW-geometry

It is well known in the literature that vacuum fluctuations can induce a random motion of particles which is sometimes called quantum Brownian motion or quantum stochastic motion. In this paper, we consider Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV) in an acoustic spatially flat Friedman–Robertson–Walker (FRW) geometry. In particular, we are looking for the LIV effects in the stochastic motion of scalar and massive test particles. This motion is induced by a massless quantized scalar field on this geometry, which in turn is derived from an Abelian Higgs model with LIV. Deviations in the velocity dispersion of the particles proportional to the LIV parameter are found.

Investigation of the Lorentz invariance violation in two-neutrino double-beta decay

We make a comprehensive investigation of the Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) effects that may occur in two-neutrino double-beta ($2\nu\beta\beta$) decay for all the experimentally interesting nuclei. We deduce the formulas for the LIV deviations and provide single and summed energy electron spectra and angular correlation between electrons with and without LIV contributions, to be used for constraining the LIV coefficient $\mathring{a}_{\text{of}}^{(3)}$. First, we confirm the shifting of the electron spectra to higher electron energies due to LIV for all nuclei. Next, we analyze other LIV signatures that can be used in LIV investigations. Thus, from the comparison of the electron and angular correlation spectra calculated with the inclusion of the LIV contributions, with their standard forms, information can be obtained about the strength versus observability of the LIV effects in the current experimental statistics. Then, we present the alternative method of constraining $\mathring{a}_{\text{of}}^{(3)}$ from the measurement of the angular correlation coefficient and estimate the statistics that different double-beta decay experiments should reach to constrain the LIV coefficient at the level of the current beta decay experiments. We hope that our work will improve the theoretical support and further stimulate the search for LIV in double-beta decay.

Testing effects of Lorentz invariance violation in the propagation of astroparticles with the Pierre Auger Observatory

Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) is often described by dispersion relations of the form E i 2 = m i 2+p i 2+δi,n E 2+n with delta different based on particle type i, with energy E, momentum p and rest mass m. Kinematics and energy thresholds of interactions are modified once the LIV terms become comparable to the squared masses of the particles involved. Thus, the strongest constraints on the LIV coefficients δi,n tend to come from the highest energies. At sufficiently high energies, photons produced by cosmic ray interactions as they propagate through the Universe could be subluminal and unattenuated over cosmological distances. Cosmic ray interactions can also be modified and lead to detectable fingerprints in the energy spectrum and mass composition observed on Earth. The data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory are therefore possibly sensitive to both the electromagnetic and hadronic sectors of LIV. In this article, we explore these two sectors by comparing the energy spectrum and the composition of cosmic rays and the upper limits on the photon flux from the Pierre Auger Observatory with simulations including LIV. Constraints on LIV parameters depend strongly on the mass composition of cosmic rays at the highest energies. For the electromagnetic sector, while no constraints can be obtained in the absence of protons beyond 1019 eV, we obtain δγ,0 > -10-21, δγ,1 > -10-40 eV-1 and δγ,2 > -10-58 eV-2 in the case of a subdominant proton component up to 1020 eV. For the hadronic sector, we study the best description of the data as a function of LIV coefficients and we derive constraints in the hadronic sector such as δhad,0 < 10-19, δhad,1 < 10-38 eV-1 and δhad,2 < 10-57 eV-2 at 5σ CL.

A Robust Estimation of Lorentz Invariance Violation and Intrinsic Spectral Lag of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been identified as one of the most promising sources for Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) studies due to their cosmological distance and energetic emission in wide energy bands. However, the arrival-time difference of GRB photons among different energy bands is affected not only by the LIV effect but also by the poorly known intrinsic spectral lags. In previous studies, assumptions of spectral lag have to be made which could introduce systematic errors. In this paper, we used a sample of 46 short GRBs (SGRBs), whose intrinsic spectra lags are much smaller than long GRBs, to better constrain the LIV. The observed spectral lags are derived between two fixed energy bands in the source rest frame rather than the observer frame. Moreover, the lags are calculated with the novel Li–CCF method, which is more robust than traditional methods. Our results show that, if we consider LIV as a linear energy dependence of the photon propagation speed in the data fit, then we obtain a robust limit of E QG &gt; 1015 GeV (95% CL). If we assume no LIV effect in the keV–MeV energy range, the goodness of data fit is equivalently as well as the case with LIV and we can constrain the common intrinsic spectral lags of SGRBs to be 1.4 ± 0.5 ms (1σ), which is the most accurate measurement thus far.

Quantum gravity with THESEUS

In this paper we explore the possibility to search for a dispersion law for light propagation in vacuo with a sample of Gamma-Ray Bursts detected by the THESEUS satellite. Within Quantum Gravity theories, different models for space-time quantization predict relative discrepancies of the speed of photons w.r.t. the speed of light that (in a series expansion) depend on a given power of the ratio of the photon energy to the Planck energy. This ratio is as small as 10− 23 for photons in the soft γ −ray band (100 keV). The dominant effect is determined by the first significant term of this expansion. If the first order in this expansion is relevant, these theories imply a Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV hereafter) and are generally dubbed LIV-theories. Therefore, to detect this effect, light must propagate over enormous distances and the experiment must have extraordinary sensitivity. Gamma-Ray Bursts, occurring at cosmological distances, could be used to detect this tiny signature of space-time granularity. Once the photons of a Gamma-Ray Burst are emitted at a given (cosmological) distance, they arrive on the detector with relative delays that linearly depends on the energy differences and on the distance travelled, that, given a set of cosmological parameters, is a unique function of the redshift. The strong temporal variability of the Gamma-Ray Bursts light-curves allows, with different techniques (e.g. cross-correlations), to compute these delays by comparing light-curves of Gamma-Ray Bursts for which the redshift is known, in adjacent energy bands covering a sufficiently wide energy range. In this way, LIV-theories can be effectively constrained. THESEUS offers the opportunity to collect a homogeneous set of GRBs for which the redshift is known, with a signal to background ratio sufficient to compute delays through cross correlation techniques, and covering an energy band (from few keV to few MeV) wide enough to produce significant delays. In this article we explore the possibility to constrain LIV-theories with THESEUS by means of Monte Carlo simulations. In summary, within the nominal duration of 3 years, THESEUS could constrain (or detect) Quantum Gravity Lorentz Invariance Violation effects at al level of 17 times the Planck Length (1.6 × 10− 33 cm); if the mission is extended up to 7 years, this constrain is improved down to a level of 11 times the Planck Length.

Tests of the Lorentz invariance violation in double-beta decay

Testing the Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) double-beta decay (DBD) is an interesting, recently opened topic, currently under investigation. Theoretically, LIV can be induced in this process by coupling neutrinos to the countershaded operator in the Standard Model extension (SME) theory, particularly to its time-like component, and could manifest as small perturbations in the shape of the energy spectra of electrons. In the absence of observation of such perturbations, one can constrain the values of the oscillation-free (of) coefficient , that controlled the size of the LIV effects. Such investigations are currently been conducted in several DBD experiments and are based on theoretical predictions of the electron spectra and angular correlation between electrons in 2νββ decay. In this paper I first present some general considerations about DBD and then give a brief review of the current status of LIV searches in the study of this process.

Probing Lorentz violation in 2νββ using single electron spectra and angular correlations

We show that the current search for Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) in the summed energy spectra of electrons in $2\nu\beta\beta$ decay can be extended by investigating the single electron spectra and the angular correlation between the emitted electrons. We derive and calculate the LIV contributions to these spectra associated with the anisotropic part of the countershaded operator and controlled through the coefficient $\mathring{a}_{\text{of}}^{(3)}$ and discuss possible signatures that may be probed in experiments. First, we show that some distortion occurs in the single electron spectrum, maximal at small electron energies. Then, we show that other LIV effects may be highlighted by analysing the angular correlation spectra and the ratio between the Standard Model Extension (SME) electron spectra and their Standard Model (SM) forms. We found that these LIV signatures depend on the magnitude of $\mathring{a}_{\text{of}}^{(3)}$, manifest differently for positive and negative values of this coefficient, and become more pronounced as the electron energy approaches the $Q$-value. Finally, we propose an alternative, new method to constrain $\mathring{a}_{\text{of}}^{(3)}$ through the measurement of the angular correlation coefficient. Using this method, and considering only statistical uncertainties, we obtain bounds of $\mathring{a}_{\text{of}}^{(3)}$ at the level of present ones, obtained from summed energy spectra. We show that future experiments can improve these limits significantly. Our study is performed for $^{100}$Mo, but the results hold qualitatively for other nuclei that undergo a double-beta decay. We hope our results will provide additional motivation for the LIV analyses performed in DBD experiments.

Constraints on Ho\u0159ava\u2013Lifshitz gravity from GRB 170817A

In this work we focus on a toy model: (3+1)-dimensional Hořava–Lifshitz gravity coupling with an anisotropic electromagnetic (EM) field which is generated through a Kaluza-Klein reduction of a (4+1)-dimensional Hořava–Lifshitz gravity. This model exhibits a remarkable feature that it has the same velocity for both gravitational and electromagnetic waves. This feature makes it possible to restrict the parameters of the theory from GRB 170817A. In this work we use this feature to discuss possible constraints on the parameter beta in the theory, by analyzing the possible Lorentz invariance violation effect of the GRB 170817A. This is achieved by analyzing potential time delay of gamma-ray photons in this event. It turns out that it places a stringent constraint on this parameter. In the most ideal case, it gives |1-sqrt{beta }|<(10^{-19}-10^{-18}).

Prospective Annual Detection Rate of High-energy Gamma-Ray Bursts with LHAASO-WCDA

Abstract Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are considered one of the most violent, explosive events in the universe and serve as high-redshift probes for cosmological study due to their high-energy observations. Such observations, particularly in the GeV regime, have already proven fruitful for deriving useful scientific results, such as the determination of extragalactic background light (EBL) and the stringent constraint on the Lorentz invariance violation effect. Owing to the advantages of a very large effective area, a low threshold energy, a wide field of view, and high duty cycle, the upcoming Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory–Water Cerenkov Detector Array (LHAASO-WCDA) will have potential sensitivity for discovering GRBs in the 100 GeV energy region. In this work, a sample of GRBs has been generated and examined based on existing observations reported by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi satellite. The Fermi spectra are extrapolated to high energy by taking into account the absorption due to the pair production processes occurring between γ rays and EBL. With an assumption that an ultrahigh-energy component accounts for 10% of the total luminosity, it is found that LHAASO-WCDA has a GRB detection rate of ∼one GRB per year.

A non-perturbative approach to the scalar Casimir effect with Lorentz symmetry violation

We determine the effect of Lorentz invariance violation in the vacuum energy and stress between two parallel plates separated by a distance L, in the presence of a massive real scalar field. We parametrize the Lorentz-violation in terms of a symmetric tensor hμν that represents a constant background. Through the Green's function method, we obtain the global Casimir energy, the Casimir force between the plates and the energy density in a closed analytical form without resorting to perturbative methods. With regards to the pressure, we find that Fc(L)=F0(L˜)/−dethμν, where F0 is the Lorentz-invariant expression, and L˜ is the plate separation rescaled by the component of hμν normal to the plates, L˜=L/−hnn. We also analyze the Casimir stress including finite-temperature corrections. The local behavior of the Casimir energy density is also discussed.

Exploring the effect of Lorentz invariance violation with the currently running long-baseline experiments

Neutrinos are the fundamental particles, blind to all kind of interactions except the weak and gravitational. Hence, they can propagate very long distances without any deviation. This characteristic property can thus provide an ideal platform to investigate Planck suppressed physics through their long distance propagation. In this work, we intend to investigate CPT violation through Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) in the long-baseline accelerator based neutrino experiments. Considering the simplest four-dimensional Lorentz violating parameters, for the first time, we obtain the sensitivity limits on the LIV parameters from the currently running long-baseline experiments T2K and hbox {NO}nu hbox {A}. In addition to this, we show their effects on mass hierarchy and CP violation sensitivities by considering hbox {NO}nu hbox {A} as a case study. We find that the sensitivity limits on LIV parameters obtained from T2K are much weaker than that of hbox {NO}nu hbox {A} and the synergy of T2K and hbox {NO}nu hbox {A} can improve these sensitivities. All these limits are slightly weaker (2 sigma level) compared to the values extracted from Super-Kamiokande experiment with atmospheric neutrinos. Moreover, we observe that the mass hierarchy and CPV sensitivities are either enhanced or deteriorated significantly in the presence of LIV as these sensitivities crucially depend on the new CP-violating phases. We also present the correlation between sin ^2 theta _{23} and the LIV parameter |a_{alpha beta }|, as well as delta _{CP} and |a_{alpha beta }|.