A limit on the variation of the speed of light arising from quantum gravity effects
A.A. Abdo
,
Markus Ackermann
,
Marco Ajello
,
K. Asano
,
William B. Atwood
,
Magnus Axelsson
,
Luca Baldini
,
Jean Ballet
(1)
,
Guido Barbiellini
,
Matthew G. Baring
,
D. Bastieri
,
K. Bechtol
,
R. Bellazzini
(1)
,
B. Berenji
,
P. N. Bhat
,
E. Bissaldi
,
E.D. Bloom
,
E. Bonamente
,
J. Bonnell
,
A.W. Borgland
,
A. Bouvier
,
J. Bregeon
,
A. Brez
,
M. S. Briggs
,
M. Brigida
,
Pascal Bruel
(2)
,
J.M. Burgess
,
T.H. Burnett
,
G. A. Caliandro
,
R. A. Cameron
,
P. A. Caraveo
,
J.M. Casandjian
(1)
,
C. Cecchi
,
O. Celik
,
V. Chaplin
,
E. Charles
,
C.C. Cheung
,
J. Chiang
,
S. Ciprini
,
R. Claus
,
J. Cohen-Tanugi
(3)
,
L. R. Cominsky
,
V. Connaughton
,
J. Conrad
,
S. Cutini
,
C.D. Dermer
,
A. de Angelis
,
F. de Palma
,
S.W. Digel
,
B. L. Dingus
,
E. Do Couto E Silva
,
P. S. Drell
,
R. Dubois
,
D. Dumora
(4)
,
C. Farnier
(3)
,
C. Favuzzi
,
S.J. Fegan
(2)
,
J. Finke
,
G. Fishman
,
W.B. Focke
,
L. Foschini
,
Y. Fukazawa
,
S. Funk
,
P. Fusco
,
F. Gargano
,
D. Gasparrini
,
N. Gehrels
,
S. Germani
,
L. Gibby
,
B. Giebels
(2)
,
N. Giglietto
,
F. Giordano
,
T. Glanzman
,
G. Godfrey
,
J. Granot
,
J. Greiner
,
I.A. Grenier
(1)
,
M.H. Grondin
(4)
,
J.E. Grove
,
D. Grupe
,
L. Guillemot
(4)
,
S. Guiriec
(3)
,
Y. Hanabata
,
A. K. Harding
,
M. Hayashida
,
E. Hays
,
E.A. Hoversten
,
R.E. Hugues
,
G. Jóhannesson
,
A. S. Johnson
,
R. P. Johnson
,
W. N. Johnson
,
T. Kamae
,
H. Katagiri
,
J. Kataoka
,
N. Kawai
,
M. Kerr
,
R. M. Kippen
,
Jürgen Knödlseder
,
D. Kocevski
,
C. Kouveliotou
,
F. Kuehn
,
M. Kuss
,
J. Lande
,
L. Latronico
,
M. Lemoine-Goumard
(4)
,
F. Longo
,
F. Loparco
,
B. Lott
(4)
,
M.N. Lovellette
,
P. Lubrano
,
G.M. Madjeski
,
A. Makeev
,
M.N. Mazziotta
,
S. Mcbreen
,
J.E. Mcenery
,
S. Mcglynn
,
P. Mészáros
,
C. Meurer
,
P.F. Michelson
,
W. Mitthumsiri
,
T. Mizuno
,
A.A. Moiseev
,
C. Monte
,
M.E. Monzani
,
E. Moretti
,
A. Morselli
,
I. V. Moskalenko
,
S. Murgia
,
T. Nakamori
,
P.L. Nolan
,
J.P. Norris
,
E. Nuss
(3)
,
M. Ohno
,
T. Ohsugi
,
N. Omodei
,
E. Orlando
,
J.F. Ormes
,
M. Ozaki
,
W. S. Paciesas
,
D. Paneque
,
J.H. Panetta
,
D. Parent
(4)
,
V. Pelassa
(3)
,
M. Pepe
,
M. Pesce-Rollins
,
V. Petrosian
,
F. Piron
(3)
,
T.A. Porter
,
R. Preece
,
S. Rainò
,
E. Ramirez-Ruiz
,
R. Rando
,
M. Razzano
,
S. Razzaque
,
A. Reimer
,
O. Reimer
,
T. Reposeur
(4)
,
S. Ritz
,
L.S. Rochester
,
A.Y. Rodriguez
,
M. Roth
,
F. Ryde
,
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski
,
D. Sanchez
(2)
,
A. Sander
,
P.M. Saz Parkinson
,
J.D. Scargle
,
T. L. Schalk
,
G. Sgro
,
E.J. Siskind
,
D.A. Smith
(4)
,
P.D. Smith
,
G. Spandre
,
P. Spinelli
,
M. Stamatikos
,
F. W. Stecker
,
M.S. Strickman
,
D.J. Suson
,
H. Tajima
,
H. Takahashi
,
T. Takahashi
,
T. Tanaka
,
J.B. Thayer
,
J.G. Thayer
,
D.J. Thompson
,
L. Tibaldo
(1)
,
K. Toma
,
D.F. Torres
,
G. Tosti
,
E. Troja
,
Y. Uchiyama
,
T. Uehara
,
T.L. Usher
,
A. J. van Der Horst
,
V. Vasileiou
,
N. Vilchez
(5)
,
V. Vitale
,
A. von Kienlin
,
A. P. Waite
,
P. Wang
,
C. Wilson-Hodge
,
B. L. Winer
,
K.S. Wood
,
X. F. Wu
,
R. Yamazaki
,
T. Ylinen
,
M. Ziegler
A.A. Abdo
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Markus Ackermann
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Marco Ajello
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K. Asano
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William B. Atwood
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Magnus Axelsson
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Luca Baldini
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Guido Barbiellini
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Matthew G. Baring
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D. Bastieri
- Function : Author
K. Bechtol
- Function : Author
B. Berenji
- Function : Author
P. N. Bhat
- Function : Author
E. Bissaldi
- Function : Author
E.D. Bloom
- Function : Author
E. Bonamente
- Function : Author
J. Bonnell
- Function : Author
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A.W. Borgland
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A. Bouvier
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J. Bregeon
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A. Brez
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M. S. Briggs
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M. Brigida
- Function : Author
J.M. Burgess
- Function : Author
T.H. Burnett
- Function : Author
G. A. Caliandro
- Function : Author
R. A. Cameron
- Function : Author
P. A. Caraveo
- Function : Author
C. Cecchi
- Function : Author
O. Celik
- Function : Author
V. Chaplin
- Function : Author
E. Charles
- Function : Author
C.C. Cheung
- Function : Author
J. Chiang
- Function : Author
S. Ciprini
- Function : Author
R. Claus
- Function : Author
J. Cohen-Tanugi
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L. R. Cominsky
- Function : Author
V. Connaughton
- Function : Author
J. Conrad
- Function : Author
S. Cutini
- Function : Author
C.D. Dermer
- Function : Author
A. de Angelis
- Function : Author
F. de Palma
- Function : Author
S.W. Digel
- Function : Author
B. L. Dingus
- Function : Author
E. Do Couto E Silva
- Function : Author
P. S. Drell
- Function : Author
R. Dubois
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C. Favuzzi
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S.J. Fegan
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J. Finke
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G. Fishman
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W.B. Focke
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L. Foschini
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Y. Fukazawa
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S. Funk
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P. Fusco
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F. Gargano
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D. Gasparrini
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N. Gehrels
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S. Germani
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L. Gibby
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N. Giglietto
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F. Giordano
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T. Glanzman
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G. Godfrey
- Function : Author
J. Granot
- Function : Author
J. Greiner
- Function : Author
J.E. Grove
- Function : Author
D. Grupe
- Function : Author
Y. Hanabata
- Function : Author
A. K. Harding
- Function : Author
M. Hayashida
- Function : Author
E. Hays
- Function : Author
E.A. Hoversten
- Function : Author
R.E. Hugues
- Function : Author
G. Jóhannesson
- Function : Author
A. S. Johnson
- Function : Author
R. P. Johnson
- Function : Author
W. N. Johnson
- Function : Author
T. Kamae
- Function : Author
H. Katagiri
- Function : Author
J. Kataoka
- Function : Author
N. Kawai
- Function : Author
M. Kerr
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R. M. Kippen
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Jürgen Knödlseder
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D. Kocevski
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C. Kouveliotou
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F. Kuehn
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M. Kuss
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J. Lande
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L. Latronico
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M. Lemoine-Goumard
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F. Longo
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M.N. Lovellette
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G.M. Madjeski
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A. Makeev
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M.N. Mazziotta
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S. Mcbreen
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J.E. Mcenery
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S. Mcglynn
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P. Mészáros
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C. Meurer
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P.F. Michelson
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W. Mitthumsiri
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T. Mizuno
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A.A. Moiseev
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C. Monte
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M.E. Monzani
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A. Morselli
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P.L. Nolan
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J.P. Norris
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M. Ohno
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N. Omodei
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E. Orlando
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J.F. Ormes
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M. Ozaki
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W. S. Paciesas
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D. Paneque
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J.H. Panetta
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M. Pepe
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M. Pesce-Rollins
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V. Petrosian
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T.A. Porter
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K. Toma
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D.F. Torres
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G. Tosti
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E. Troja
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Y. Uchiyama
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T. Uehara
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T.L. Usher
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A. J. van Der Horst
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A. von Kienlin
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A. P. Waite
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C. Wilson-Hodge
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B. L. Winer
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K.S. Wood
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X. F. Wu
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R. Yamazaki
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T. Ylinen
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M. Ziegler
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Abstract
A cornerstone of Einstein's special relativity is Lorentz invariance-the postulate that all observers measure exactly the same speed of light in vacuum, independent of photon-energy. While special relativity assumes that there is no fundamental length-scale associated with such invariance, there is a fundamental scale (the Planck scale, l(Planck) approximate to 1.62 x 10(-33) cm or E-Planck = M(Planck)c(2) approximate to 1.22 x 10(19) GeV), at which quantum effects are expected to strongly affect the nature of space-time. There is great interest in the (not yet validated) idea that Lorentz invariance might break near the Planck scale. A key test of such violation of Lorentz invariance is a possible variation of photon speed with energy(1-7). Even a tiny variation in photon speed, when accumulated over cosmological light-travel times, may be revealed by observing sharp features in gamma-ray burst (GRB) light-curves(2). Here we report the detection of emission up to similar to 31GeV from the distant and short GRB090510. We find no evidence for the violation of Lorentz invariance, and place a lower limit of 1.2E(Planck) on the scale of a linear energy dependence (or an inverse wavelength dependence), subject to reasonable assumptions about the emission (equivalently we have an upper limit of l(Planck)/1.2 on the length scale of the effect). Our results disfavour quantum-gravity theories(3,6,7) in which the quantum nature of space-time on a very small scale linearly alters the speed of light.