Direct terrestrial test of Lorentz symmetry in electrodynamics to 10-18

M. Nagel; Stephen Parker; E.V. Kovalchuk; Paul Stanwix; John Hartnett; Eugene Ivanov; A. Peters; Michael Tobar

doi:10.1038/ncomms9174

Direct terrestrial test of Lorentz symmetry in electrodynamics to 10^-18

M. Nagel, Stephen Parker, E.V. Kovalchuk, Paul Stanwix, John Hartnett, Eugene Ivanov, A. Peters, Michael Tobar

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

86 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

© 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. Lorentz symmetry is a foundational property of modern physics, underlying the standard model of particles and general relativity. It is anticipated that these two theories are low-energy approximations of a single theory that is unified and consistent at the Planck scale. Many unifying proposals allow Lorentz symmetry to be broken, with observable effects appearing at Planck-suppressed levels; thus, precision tests of Lorentz invariance are needed to assess and guide theoretical efforts. Here we use ultrastable oscillator frequency sources to perform a modern Michelson-Morley experiment and make the most precise direct terrestrial test to date of Lorentz symmetry for the photon, constraining Lorentz violating orientation-dependent relative frequency changes " 1/2/1/2 to 9.2±10.7 × 10 â'19 (95% confidence interval). This order of magnitude improvement over previous Michelson-Morley experiments allows us to set comprehensive simultaneous bounds on nine boost and rotation anisotropies of the speed of light, finding no significant violations of Lorentz symmetry.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-6
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9174
Publication status	Published - 1 Sept 2015

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10.1038/ncomms9174Licence: CC BY

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T1 - Direct terrestrial test of Lorentz symmetry in electrodynamics to 10-18

AU - Nagel, M.

AU - Parker, Stephen

AU - Kovalchuk, E.V.

AU - Stanwix, Paul

AU - Hartnett, John

AU - Ivanov, Eugene

AU - Peters, A.

AU - Tobar, Michael

PY - 2015/9/1

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N2 - © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. Lorentz symmetry is a foundational property of modern physics, underlying the standard model of particles and general relativity. It is anticipated that these two theories are low-energy approximations of a single theory that is unified and consistent at the Planck scale. Many unifying proposals allow Lorentz symmetry to be broken, with observable effects appearing at Planck-suppressed levels; thus, precision tests of Lorentz invariance are needed to assess and guide theoretical efforts. Here we use ultrastable oscillator frequency sources to perform a modern Michelson-Morley experiment and make the most precise direct terrestrial test to date of Lorentz symmetry for the photon, constraining Lorentz violating orientation-dependent relative frequency changes " 1/2/1/2 to 9.2±10.7 × 10 â'19 (95% confidence interval). This order of magnitude improvement over previous Michelson-Morley experiments allows us to set comprehensive simultaneous bounds on nine boost and rotation anisotropies of the speed of light, finding no significant violations of Lorentz symmetry.

AB - © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited. Lorentz symmetry is a foundational property of modern physics, underlying the standard model of particles and general relativity. It is anticipated that these two theories are low-energy approximations of a single theory that is unified and consistent at the Planck scale. Many unifying proposals allow Lorentz symmetry to be broken, with observable effects appearing at Planck-suppressed levels; thus, precision tests of Lorentz invariance are needed to assess and guide theoretical efforts. Here we use ultrastable oscillator frequency sources to perform a modern Michelson-Morley experiment and make the most precise direct terrestrial test to date of Lorentz symmetry for the photon, constraining Lorentz violating orientation-dependent relative frequency changes " 1/2/1/2 to 9.2±10.7 × 10 â'19 (95% confidence interval). This order of magnitude improvement over previous Michelson-Morley experiments allows us to set comprehensive simultaneous bounds on nine boost and rotation anisotropies of the speed of light, finding no significant violations of Lorentz symmetry.

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Direct terrestrial test of Lorentz symmetry in electrodynamics to 10-18

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Direct terrestrial test of Lorentz symmetry in electrodynamics to 10^-18