General relativity and OPERA Experiment

TL;DR

This paper critically examines a proposed general relativity explanation for OPERA neutrino data, concluding that the explanation is invalid and that the faster-than-light observation likely resulted from technical errors.

Contribution

The paper refutes a previous claim that general relativity can explain OPERA neutrino results, clarifying that the effect cannot account for the observed data.

Findings

Garcia-Islas's GR explanation does not hold

OPERA neutrino anomaly likely due to technical error

General relativistic effects are insufficient to explain the data

Abstract

In his paper "A very simple solution to the OPERA neutrino velocity problem" the author J. Manuel Garcia-Islas claims to have very easily solved and explained within the general theory of relativity that OPERA's neutrinos are not traveling faster than the speed of light and the early time arrival is due to the presence of the Earth's gravitational field. In this letter we easily show that the argument by Garcia-Islas does not work. Although it looks that data suggesting that neutrinos can travel faster than light probably resulted from a faulty connection in a GPS timing system, it is important to clarify that, in any case, the general relativistic effect discussed by Garcia-Islas cannot explain the original OPERA's data.