2016/12/06 by Tessa Baker, Mark Trodden · 1 voice
Physics and Astronomy · #astro-ph.CO #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.95.063512
published as Phys. Rev. D 95, 063512 (2017) · 18+9 pages; updated to match published version, minor textual changes only
arxiv published 2016/12/06 · arxiv created 2017/05/30 · arxiv updated 2017/05/30
We investigate the potential of high-energy astrophysical events, from which both massless and massive signals are detected, to probe fundamental physics. In particular, we consider how strong gravitational lensing can induce time delays in multi-messenger signals originating from the same source. Obvious messenger examples are massless photons and gravitational waves, and massive neutrinos, although more exotic applications can also be imagined, such as to massive gravitons or axions. The different propagation times of the massive and massless particles can, in principle, place bounds on the total neutrino mass and probe cosmological parameters. Whilst measuring such an effect may pose a significant experimental challenge, we believe that the `massive time delay' represents an unexplored fundamental physics phenomenon.