The refractive index of the vacuum and the dark sector
We discuss a recent result about the refractive index of the vacuum and compare it with existing limits. We consider a possible connection with the dark sector.
physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv subjects
Adrian C. Melissinos
Publications and source records attributed to Adrian C. Melissinos.
Proposed test of Lorentz Invariance using the Gravitational Wave Interferometers
Current limits on violation of local Lorentz invariance in the photon sector are derived mainly from experiments that search for a spatial anisotropy in the speed of light. The presently operating gravitational wave detectors are Michelson interferometers with long effective arms, 4e5 m, and sensitive to a fringe shift 2e-9. Therefore they can be used to test for a difference in the speed of light in the two arms, as modulated bi-annualy by the orientation of the Earth's velocity with respect to the direction of motion of the local system. A limit can be set on the Robertson-Mansouri-Sexl parameter PMM < 10e-15, as compared to its present limit of PMM < 2e-10, an improvement of five orders of magnitude.
gr-qc↗
Searching for photon-sector Lorentz violation using gravitational-wave detectors
We study the prospects for using interferometers in gravitational-wave detectors as tools to search for photon-sector violations of Lorentz symmetry. Existing interferometers are shown to be exquisitely sensitive to tiny changes in the effective refractive index of light occurring at frequencies around and below the microhertz range, including at the harmonics of the frequencies of the Earth's sidereal rotation and annual revolution relevant for tests of Lorentz symmetry. We use preliminary data obtained by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2006-2007 to place constraints on coefficients for Lorentz violation in the photon sector exceeding current limits by about four orders of magnitude.
gr-qc↗
On the Possible Detection of Low Frequency Periodic Signals in Gravitational Wave Interferometers
We carried out a computer simulation of a large gravitational wave (GW) interferometer using the specifications of the LIGO instruments. We find that if in addition to the carrier, a single sideband offset from the carrier by the fsr frequency (the free spectral range of the arm cavities) is injected, it is equally sensitive to GW signals as is the carrier. The amplitude of the fsr sideband signal in the DC region is generally much less subject to noise than the carrier, and this makes possible the detection of periodic signals with frequencies well below the so-called seismic wall.
astro-ph.IM↗
Use of Slow Light to test the Isotropy of Space
It is suggested that slow light could be used to test for relative motion with respect to an absolute reference frame at a sensitivity v ~ 10^{-3} m/s.
physics.optics↗
Search for Cosmic Axions using an Optical Interferometer
A high finesse optical cavity can be used to search for cosmic axions in the mass range 10^{-6}< m_a <10^{-4} eV. Either a two-arm or a single-arm cavity is suitable and in either case the signal as resonant sidebands imposed on the carrier. Assuming for the local axion density the usual figure of 500 MeV/cm^3 [8], the KSVZ axion line [4] g/m_a = 0.4 Gev^{-2}, can be reached over the full mass range in a one year search.
hep-ph↗
Comment on "Experimental Observation of Optical Rotation Generated in Vacuum by a Magnetic Field"
We point out that recent claims of the detection of a light pseudoscalar/scalar (axion-like) particle [1,2] are excluded at the 95% level by an earlier experiment [3].
hep-ph↗
Search for Higher Dimensions through their Gravitational Effects in High Energy Collisions
We consider the use of a microwave parametric converter for the direct detection of gravitational effects at the LHC. Because of the extra dimensions the strength of the gravitational interaction in the bulk grows at high energies. This leads to possibly detectable signals.
hep-ph↗
Measurement of a Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background with a Single Laser Interferometer
Laser interferometer gravitational wave detectors can be operated at their free spectral range frequency. We show that in this case and when the interferometer is well understood one could detect a stochastic background using a single detector.
gr-qc↗
The Energetics of Particle Acceleration Using High Intensity Lasers
We point out that even the most intense laser beams available today can provide only a very small fraction of the beam energy required to reach the design luminosity for a future e+e- linear collider. This fact seems to have been overlooked in the extensive literature on laser acceleration of charged particles.
physics.acc-ph↗