Related papers: Signature of the Planck scale
Lorentz invariance is a fundamental symmetry of both Einstein's theory of general relativity and quantum field theory. However, deviations from Lorentz invariance at energies approaching the Planck scale are predicted in many quantum…
Investigations of the possibility that some novel ``quantum" properties of spacetime might induce a modification dispersion relation focused at first on scenarios with Planck-scale violations of Lorentz symmetry. More recently several…
Lorentz symmetry breaking at very high energies may lead to photon dispersion relations of the form omega^2=k^2+xi_n k^2(k/M_Pl)^n with new terms suppressed by a power n of the Planck mass M_Pl. We show that first and second order terms of…
The fundamental laws of physics are required to be invariant under local spatial scale change. In 3-dimensional space, this leads to a variation in Planck constant \hbar and speed of light c. They vary as \hbar ~ a^(1/2) and c ~ a^(-1/2), a…
We first comment on the search for a deviation from the linear photon dispersion relation, in particular based on cosmic photons from Gamma Ray Bursts. Then we consider the non-commutative space as a theoretical concept that could lead to…
One of the deepest insights from the general theory of relativity is the relational nature of spacetime. While it is a generally agreed on that the nature of spacetime must be drastically different at the Planck scale, it has been a common…
Extremely high-energy(EHE) cosmic rays might provide a chance to check a violation of the Lorentz symmetry of spacetime. Some theoretical consideration is described about why the Lorentz symmetry might break-down in EHE phenomena in this…
The Planck mass and the cosmological constant determine the minimum and the maximum distances in the physical universe. A relativistic theory that takes into account a fundamental distance limit $\ell$ on par with the fundamental speed…
We show that the standard Lorentz transformations admit an invariant mass (length) scale, such as the Planck scale. In other words, the frame independence of such scale is built-in within those transformations, and one does not need to…
We modify the scalar Einstein-aether theory by breaking the Lorentz invariance of a gravitational theory coupled to a Galileon type scalar field. This is done by introducing a Lagrange multiplier term into the action, thus ensuring that the…
We investigate the behaviour of quantum fields coupled to a spacetime geometry exhibiting finite regions of Euclidean (Riemannian) signature. Although from a gravity perspective this situation might seem somewhat far fetched, we will…
We discuss possible violations of Poincare's relativity principle at energy scales close to Planck scale and point out the potentialities of high-energy cosmic-ray physics to uncover these new phenomena.
Close to the Planck energy scale, the quantum nature of space-time reveals itself and all forces, including gravity, should be unified so that all interactions correspond to just one underlying symmetry. In the absence of a full quantum…
As a basic symmetry of space-time, Lorentz symmetry has played important roles in various fields of physics, and it is a glamorous question whether Lorentz symmetry breaks. Since Einstein proposed special relativity, Lorentz symmetry has…
Recent observations of ultra high energy cosmic rays and gamma rays suggest that there are small violations of Lorentz symmetry. If there were no such violations, then the GZK cut off would hold and cosmic rays with energy $\sim 10^{20}eV$…
Scale symmetry is a fundamental symmetry of physics that seems however not to be fully realized in the universe. Here, we focus on the astronomical scales ruled by gravity, where scale symmetry holds and gives rise to a truly scale…
A self consistent effective field theory of modified gravity has recently been proposed with spontaneous breaking of local Lorentz invariance. The symmetry is broken by a vector field with the wrong-sign mass term and it has been shown to…
Lorentz invariance is the fundamental symmetry of Einstein's theory of special relativity, and has been tested to great level of detail. However, theories of quantum gravity at the Planck scale indicate that Lorentz symmetry may be broken…
Over the last few years the study of possible Planck-scale departures from classical Lorentz symmetry has been one of the most active areas of quantum-gravity research. We now have a satisfactory description of the fate of Lorentz symmetry…
Evidence on the violation of Lorentz symmetry arises from the observation of cosmic rays with energies beyond the GZK cutoff, $E_{GZK} \simeq 4 \times 10^{19} eV$, from the apparent transparency of the Universe to the propagation of high…