English

General Very Special Relativity is Finsler Geometry

High Energy Physics - Theory 2008-11-26 v2 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Physics - Phenomenology

Abstract

We ask whether Cohen and Glashow's Very Special Relativity model for Lorentz violation might be modified, perhaps by quantum corrections, possibly producing a curved spacetime with a cosmological constant. We show that its symmetry group ISIM(2) does admit a 2-parameter family of continuous deformations, but none of these give rise to non-commutative translations analogous to those of the de Sitter deformation of the Poincar\'e group: spacetime remains flat. Only a 1-parameter family DISIM_b(2) of deformations of SIM(2) is physically acceptable. Since this could arise through quantum corrections, its implications for tests of Lorentz violations via the Cohen-Glashow proposal should be taken into account. The Lorentz-violating point particle action invariant under DISIM_b(2) is of Finsler type, for which the line element is homogeneous of degree 1 in displacements, but anisotropic. We derive DISIM_b(2)-invariant wave equations for particles of spins 0, 1/2 and 1. The experimental bound, b<1026|b|<10^{-26}, raises the question ``Why is the dimensionless constant bb so small in Very Special Relativity?''

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0707.2174,
  title  = {General Very Special Relativity is Finsler Geometry},
  author = {G. W. Gibbons and Joaquim Gomis and C. N. Pope},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0707.2174},
  year   = {2008}
}

Comments

4 pages, minor corrections, references added

R2 v1 2026-06-21T08:58:23.969Z