2008/07/31 by Matteo Galaverni, G. Sigl, Guenter Sigl · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Dispersion (optics) #Dispersion relation #Electron #Lorentz covariance #Lorentz transformation #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Photon #Physics #Planck energy #Planck scale #Positron #Quantum #Quantum electrodynamics #Quantum gravity #Quantum mechanics #astro-ph #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.78.063003
published as Phys.Rev.D78:063003,2008 · 9 revtex pages, 11 figures; published version; added comment on models beyond effective field theory
openalex publication_date 2008/09/02 · arxiv created 2008/09/05 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The propagation of photons, electrons and positrons at ultrahigh energies above \ensuremath∼1019 eV can be changed considerably if the dispersion relations of these particles are modified by terms suppressed by powers of the Planck scale. We recently pointed out that the current nonobservation of photons in the ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray flux at such energies can put strong constraints on such modified dispersion relations. In the present work we generalize these constraints to all three Lorentz invariance-breaking parameters that can occur in the dispersion relations for photons, electrons and positrons at first- and second-order suppression with the Planck scale. We also show how the excluded regions in these three-dimensional parameter ranges would be extended if ultrahigh-energy photons were detected in the future.