The influence of Lorentz violation on UHE photon detection

TL;DR

This paper explores how Lorentz violation in quantum electrodynamics can reduce interaction rates of ultra-high-energy photons, impacting air shower formation and constraining Lorentz-violating parameters based on photon detection.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Lorentz violation can suppress key interactions for UHE photon air showers, providing new constraints on Lorentz-violating parameters from observational data.

Findings

Lorentz violation suppresses pair production interactions.

Detection of high-energy photons constrains Lorentz-violating parameters.

Interaction rates are significantly affected by Lorentz symmetry breaking.

Abstract

We show that violation of the Lorentz symmetry in quantum electrodynamics can suppress the rates of the interactions crucial for the formation of photon-induced air showers, such as pair production on nuclei and in the geomagnetic field. As a consequence, the allowed region in the space of Lorentz-violating parameters will be seriously restricted if several photons with energies $\gtrsim\,10^{19}\, {eV}$ are detected.