Unambiguous Quantum Gravity Phenomenology Respecting Lorentz Symmetry

TL;DR

This paper proposes a Lorentz-invariant approach to quantum gravity phenomenology that involves fundamental space-time granularity, maintaining covariance and providing a framework for experimental analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a sign-ambiguity-free, covariant scheme for quantum gravity effects respecting Lorentz symmetry, with a detailed effective Hamiltonian for experimental tests.

Findings

The scheme respects Lorentz invariance and is free from sign ambiguities.

It involves non-trivial curvature-matter couplings.

The effective Hamiltonian facilitates experimental analysis.

Abstract

We describe a refined version of a previous proposal for the exploration of quantum gravity phenomenology. Unlike the original scheme, the one presented here is free from sign ambiguities while it shares with the previous one the essential features. It focuses on effects that could be thought as arising from a fundamental granularity of quantum space-time. The sort of schemes we consider are in sharp contrast with the simplest scenarios in that such granularity is assumed to respect Lorentz Invariance but it remains otherwise unspecified. The proposal is fully observer covariant, it involves non-trivial couplings of curvature to matter fields and leads to a well defined phenomenology. We present the effective Hamiltonian which could be used to analyze concrete experimental situations, and we shortly review the degree to which this proposal is in line with the fundamental ideas behind the equivalence principle.