Constraints on birefringence-free photon theory within standard-model extension

TL;DR

This paper uses gamma-ray burst data to set the most stringent constraints yet on certain Lorentz-violating coefficients in the Standard-Model Extension, improving previous bounds by five orders of magnitude.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive Bayesian analysis constraining birefringence-free Lorentz-violating operators for multiple dimensions within the SME framework using GRB data.

Findings

Constraints on coefficients are tightened by at least five orders of magnitude.

Bayesian parameter estimation indicates a preference for subluminal Lorentz violation.

Derived bounds are consistent within the 95% credible interval.

Abstract

Constraints on the birefringence-free subset of Lorentz-violating (LV) operators are derived using 14 GRB photons in the GeV-band. These constraints target the isotropic $c_{(I)00}^{(d)}$ coefficients for dimensions $d=6,8,10$ within the framework of the Standard-Model Extension (SME). Employing theory-agnostic Bayesian parameter estimation methods, our analysis indicates a preference for subluminal LV effects. Focusing on this case, we further refine the parameter constraints, yielding results that are mutually consistent. Within the 95\% posterior credible interval, our constraints yield the bounds, $|c_{(I)00}^{(6)}|\le7.75 \times 10^{-20} ~ {\rm GeV}^{-2}$, $|c_{(I)00}^{(8)}|\le4.92 \times 10^{-24} ~ {\rm GeV}^{-4}$, and $|c_{(I)00}^{(10)}|\le3.46 \times 10^{-28} ~ {\rm GeV}^{-6}$, which improve upon the most stringent credible-interval bounds reported in the literature by at least five orders of magnitude.