Constraints on relativity violations from gamma-ray bursts

TL;DR

This paper discusses how gamma-ray burst observations can set stringent limits on potential violations of Lorentz and CPT symmetries predicted by some quantum gravity theories, enhancing previous constraints significantly.

Contribution

It demonstrates that recent gamma-ray polarization data substantially improve constraints on Lorentz and CPT violations involving photons.

Findings

Enhanced sensitivity to Lorentz and CPT violation by factors of 10 to 1,000,000.

Gamma-ray polarization measurements provide new bounds on quantum gravity effects.

Supports the robustness of Lorentz symmetry at high energies.

Abstract

Tiny violations of the Lorentz symmetry of relativity and the associated discrete CPT symmetry could emerge in a consistent theory of quantum gravity such as string theory. Recent evidence for linear polarization in gamma-ray bursts improves existing sensitivities to Lorentz and CPT violation involving photons by factors ranging from ten to a million.