Floyd W Stecker and Sean T Scully 2009 New J. Phys. 11 085003 doi:10.1088/1367-2630/11/8/085003
Searching for new physics with ultrahigh energy cosmic rays
Focus on High Energy Cosmic RaysFloyd W Stecker1,3 and Sean T Scully2
Show affiliationsPart of Focus on High Energy Cosmic Rays
Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) that produce giant extensive showers of charged particles and photons when they interact in the Earth's atmosphere provide a unique tool to search for new physics. Of particular interest is the possibility of detecting a very small violation of Lorentz invariance such as may be related to the structure of space-time near the Planck scale of ~10−35 m. We discuss here the possible signature of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) on the spectrum of UHECRs as compared with present observations of giant air showers. We also discuss the possibilities of using more sensitive detection techniques to improve searches for LIV in the future. Using the latest data from the Pierre Auger Observatory, we derive a best fit to the LIV parameter of 3.0+1.5−3.0×10-23, corresponding to an upper limit of 4.5×10-23 at a proton Lorentz factor of ~2×1011. This result has fundamental implications for quantum gravity models.
- PACS
-
96.50.sb Composition, energy spectra and interactions
- Subjects
- Dates
-
Issue 8 (August 2009)
Received 26 January 2009
Published 12 August 2009
-
Searching for new physics with ultrahigh energy cosmic rays
Floyd W Stecker and Sean T Scully 2009 New J. Phys. 11 085003
-
Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in QCD: a finite-size scaling study on the lattice
Leonardo Giusti and Silvia Necco JHEP04(2007)090
-
Final report of the bilateral comparison on the calibration of stainless steel mass standards between CENAM-Mexico and INTI-Argentina, SIM.M.M-S5 (SIM.7.44)
Luis Omar Becerra and Fernando Kornblit 2009 Metrologia 46 07012
-
Slow light in inhomogeneous and transverse fields
Leon Karpa and Martin Weitz 2008 New J. Phys. 10 045015
-
The application of structural nonlinearity in the development of linearly tunable MEMS capacitors
M Shavezipur et al 2008 J. Micromech. Microeng. 18 035016
-
Powering MEMS portable devices—a review of non-regenerative and regenerative power supply systems with special emphasis on piezoelectric energy harvesting systems
K A Cook-Chennault et al 2008 Smart Mater. Struct. 17 043001
-
Special issue on resonances: from few-body to many-body phenomena
L S Cederbaum, J M Rost and H R Sadeghpour 2008 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 41 090101
-
Electromechanical interactions in a carbon nanotube based thin film field emitting diode
N Sinha et al 2008 Nanotechnology 19 025701
-
Results of the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST)
K Zioutas and (for the Cast Collaboration) 2007 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 65 012009
-
Flavour violation in supersymmetric SO(10) unification with a type II seesaw mechanism
Lorenzo Calibbi et al JHEP12(2009)057
Users also read
What's this?- Equilibration and temperature distribution in a driven ion chain
- Quark–gluon plasma at the RHIC and the LHC: perfect fluid too perfect?
- Searching for perfect fluids: quantum viscosity in a universal Fermi gas