New experimental proposals for testing Dirac equation

TL;DR

This paper proposes three novel experimental methods to test modifications of the Dirac equation, including a second-order time derivative term, which could reveal quantum gravity effects beyond current approaches.

Contribution

It introduces three new experimental proposals to detect a modified Dirac equation with a second-order time derivative term, expanding beyond traditional testing methods.

Findings

Two proposals do not rely on red-shift, atomic interferometry, or Hughes-Drever experiments.

The ideas could potentially identify deviations predicted by quantum gravity theories.

Provides a framework for future experimental validation of modified field equations.

Abstract

The advent of phenomenological quantum gravity has ushered us in the search for experimental tests of the deviations from general relativity predicted by quantum gravity or by string theories, and as a by--product of this quest the possible modifications that some field equations, for instance, the motion equation of spin--1/2--particles, have already been considered. In the present work a modified Dirac equation, whose extra term embraces a second--order time derivative, is taken as mainstay, and three different experimental proposals to detect it are put forward. The novelty in these ideas is that two of them do not fall within the extant approaches in this context, to wit, red--shift, atomic interferometry, or Hughes--Drever type--like experiments.