Lorentz-violating spinor electrodynamics and Penning traps

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Lorentz and CPT symmetry violations could be tested using Penning trap experiments, deriving theoretical predictions and analyzing experimental data to set bounds on possible violations.

Contribution

It formulates a Lorentz-violating extension of spinor electrodynamics up to dimension six and applies it to analyze energy shifts in Penning trap experiments for various particles.

Findings

Derived bounds on Lorentz and CPT violation coefficients from existing measurements.

Predicted observable sidereal variations in trapped particle energy levels.

Compared particle and antiparticle data to constrain symmetry violations.

Abstract

The prospects are explored for testing Lorentz- and CPT-violating quantum electrodynamics in experiments with Penning traps. We present the Lagrange density of Lorentz-violating spinor electrodynamics with operators of mass dimensions up to six, and we discuss some of its properties. The theory is used to derive Lorentz- and CPT-violating perturbative shifts of the energy levels of a particle confined to a Penning trap. Observable signals are discussed for trapped electrons, positrons, protons, and antiprotons. Existing experimental measurements on anomaly frequencies are used to extract new or improved bounds on numerous coefficients for Lorentz and CPT violation, using sidereal variations of observables and comparisons between particles and antiparticles.