Related papers: String Quantum Gravity, Lorentz-Invariance Violati…
I discuss a model inspired from the string/brane framework, in which our Universe is represented as a three brane, propagating in a bulk space time punctured by D0-brane (D-particle) defects. As the D3-brane world moves in the bulk, the…
Some Quantum Gravity models predict a violation of Lorentz invariance. Namely, the velocity of photons in vacuum could depend on their energies. One possibility for Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV) searches is to look for energy-dependent…
Lorentz invariance is one of the fundamental tenets of Special Relativity, and has been extensively tested with laboratory and astrophysical observations. However, many quantum gravity models and theories beyond the Standard Model of…
The "foamy" nature of spacetime at the Planck scale was an idea first introduced by John Wheeler in the 1950s. And for the last twenty years or so it has been debated whether those inherent uncertainties in time and path-length might also…
Recently Rizzo studied the Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV) in a brane scenario with one extra dimension where he found a non-zero mass for the four-dimensional graviton. This leads to the conclusion that five-dimensional models with LIV…
The topic of Lorentz invariance violation is a fundamental question in physics that has taken on particular interest in theoretical explorations of quantum gravity scenarios. I discuss various gamma-ray observations that give limits on…
Plausibly spacetime is "foamy" on small distance scales, due to quantum fluctuations. We elaborate on the proposal to detect spacetime foam by looking for seeing disks in the images of distant quasars and AGNs. This is a null test in the…
By analyzing a gedanken experiment designed to measure the distance $l$ between two spatially separated points, we find that this distance cannot be measured with uncertainty less than $(ll_P^2)^{1/3}$, considerably larger than the Planck…
Searching for Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) using astrophysical sources such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is crucial for probing quantum gravity. However, the dependence of LIV constraints on assumed cosmological models has been largely…
Lorentz invariance violation in quantum gravity (QG) models or a nonzero photon mass, $m_\gamma$, would lead to an energy-dependent propagation speed for photons, such that photons of different energies from a distant source would arrive at…
Starting from microscopic models of space-time foam, based on brane universes propagating in bulk space-times populated by D0-brane defects ("D-particles"), we arrive at effective actions used by a low-energy observer on the brane world to…
Within the general framework of Liouville string theory, we construct a model for quantum D-brane fluctuations in the space-time background through which light closed-string states propagate. The model is based on monopole and vortex…
Theoretical models and experimental observations suggest that gamma-ray bursts (GRB) and high-energy neutrino bursts travelling through the interstellar space may reach the Earth at different speeds. We propose and study in details the…
Models of quantum gravity suggest that the vacuum should be regarded as a medium with quantum structure that may have non-trivial effects on photon propagation, including the violation of Lorentz invariance. Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT)…
We constrain the possibility of a non-trivial refractive index in free space corresponding to an energy-dependent velocity of light: c(E) \simeq c_0 (1 - E/M), where M is a mass scale that might represent effect of quantum-gravitational…
Correlated red noise recently reported from pulsar timing observations may be an indication of stochastic gravitational waves emitted by cosmic strings that formed during a primordial phase transition near the Grand Unification energy…
I discuss cosmological models either derived from, or inspired by, string theory or M-theory. In particular I discuss solutions in the low-energy effective theory and the role of the dilaton, moduli and antisymmetric form fields in the…
We consider some consequences of describing the gauge and matter degrees of freedom in our universe by open strings, as suggested by the braneworld scenario. We focus on the geometric effects described by the open string metric and…
We discuss data analysis techniques that can be used in the search for gravitational wave bursts from cosmic strings. When data from multiple interferometers are available, we describe consistency checks that can be used to greatly reduce…
Within a Liouville approach to non-critical string theory, we discuss space-time foam effects on the propagation of low-energy particles. We find an induced frequency-dependent dispersion in the propagation of a wave packet, and observe…