Closing a window for massive photons

TL;DR

This paper investigates the hypothesis of massive photons and derives astrophysical bounds that contradict this assumption, concluding that photons must be exactly massless based on current experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces new astrophysical bounds on photon mass under a spinning top trajectory model, demonstrating the inconsistency of massive photons with experimental results.

Findings

Massive photon hypothesis is incompatible with current data.

Photons must be exactly massless according to derived bounds.

New astrophysical constraints on photon mass are established.

Abstract

Working with the assumption of non-zero photon mass and a trajectory that is described by the non geodesic world line of a spinning top we find, by deriving new astrophysical bounds, that this assumption is in contradiction with current experimental results. This yields the conclusion that such photons have to be exactly massless.