Joint photon-electron Lorentz violation parameter plane from LHAASO data

TL;DR

This paper uses data from LHAASO to set new constraints on Lorentz violation by analyzing high-energy photon and electron decay processes, providing insights into fundamental physics beyond relativity.

Contribution

It presents a joint analysis of photon and electron Lorentz violation parameters using ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray data, which is a novel comprehensive approach.

Findings

Established the strictest constraints on photon Lorentz violation.

Provided the first joint photon-electron Lorentz violation parameter plane.

Allowed the parameter space for new physics beyond relativity.

Abstract

The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory~(LHAASO) is one of the most sensitive gamma-ray detector arrays, whose ultrahigh-energy~(UHE) work bands not only help to study the origin and acceleration mechanism of UHE cosmic rays, but also provide the opportunity to test fundamental physics concepts such as Lorentz symmetry. LHAASO directly observes the $1.42~\mathrm{PeV}$ highest-energy photon. By adopting the synchrotion self-Compton model, LHAASO also suggests that the $1.12~\mathrm{PeV}$ high-energy photon from Crab Nebula corresponds to a $2.3~\mathrm{PeV}$ high-energy electron. We study the $1.42~\mathrm{PeV}$ photon decay and the $2.3~\mathrm{PeV}$ electron decay to perform a joint analysis on photon and electron two-dimensional Lorentz violation~(LV) parameter plane. Our analysis is systematic and comprehensive, and we naturally get the strictest constraints from merely considering photon LV effect in photon decay and electron LV effect in electron decay. Our result also permits the parameter space for new physics beyond relativity.