Acoustic tests of Lorentz symmetry using quartz oscillators

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for testing Lorentz symmetry violations using quartz oscillators, achieving competitive limits on neutron-sector violations and promising future improvements with cryogenic technology.

Contribution

It presents the first phonon-sector Lorentz test with quartz oscillators, providing new constraints on SME coefficients and demonstrating the potential for enhanced future experiments.

Findings

Set a limit of c_Q^{ m n}=(-1.8 \u00b1 2.2) imes 10^{-14} GeV on neutron-sector SME coefficient

Demonstrated the feasibility of using room-temperature quartz oscillators for Lorentz symmetry tests

Future cryogenic oscillator experiments could significantly improve sensitivity.

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a test of Lorentz symmetry based on new, compact, and reliable quartz oscillator technology. Violations of Lorentz invariance in the matter and photon-sector of the standard model extension (SME) generate anisotropies in particles' inertial masses and the elastic constants, giving rise to measurable anisotopies in the resonance frequencies of acoustic modes in solids. A first realization of such a "phonon-sector" test of Lorentz symmetry using room-temperature SC-cut crystals provides a limit of $\tilde c_Q^{\rm n}=(-1.8 \pm 2.2)\times 10^{-14}$\,GeV on the most weakly constrained neutron-sector $c-$coefficient of the SME. Future experiments with cryogenic oscillators promise significant improvements in accuracy, opening up the potential for improved limits on Lorentz violation in the neutron, proton, electron and photon sector.