Rotating optical cavity experiment testing Lorentz invariance at the 10^{-17} level

TL;DR

This paper reports a highly precise laboratory test of Lorentz invariance by measuring the isotropy of the speed of light using rotating optical resonators, setting a new limit at the 10^{-17} level.

Contribution

It introduces an improved experimental setup with fused silica resonators and continuous rotation, achieving the most accurate test of light speed isotropy to date.

Findings

Limit on light speed anisotropy set at ~10^{-17}

Constraints on Lorentz violation parameters improved

No detectable Lorentz violation observed

Abstract

We present an improved laboratory test of Lorentz invariance in electrodynamics by testing the isotropy of the speed of light. Our measurement compares the resonance frequencies of two orthogonal optical resonators that are implemented in a single block of fused silica and are rotated continuously on a precision air bearing turntable. An analysis of data recorded over the course of one year sets a limit on an anisotropy of the speed of light of \Delta c/c ~ 1 x 10^{-17}. This constitutes the most accurate laboratory test of the isotropy of $c$ to date and allows to constrain parameters of a Lorentz violating extension of the standard model of particle physics down to a level of 10^{-17}.