Lorentz Invariance and Quantum Gravity: An Additional Fine-Tuning Problem?

John Collins, Alejandro Perez, Daniel Sudarsky, Luis Urrutia, and Héctor Vucetich
Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 191301 – Published 5 November 2004

Abstract

Trying to combine standard quantum field theories with gravity leads to a breakdown of the usual structure of space time at around the Planck length, 1.6×1035m, with possible violations of Lorentz invariance. Calculations of preferred-frame effects in quantum gravity have further motivated high precision searches for Lorentz violation. Here, we explain that combining known elementary particle interactions with a Planck-scale preferred frame gives rise to Lorentz violation at the percent level, some 20 orders of magnitude higher than earlier estimates, unless the bare parameters of the theory are unnaturally strongly fine tuned. Therefore an important task is not just the improvement of the precision of searches for violations of Lorentz invariance, but also the search for theoretical mechanisms for automatically preserving Lorentz invariance.

  • Figure
  • Received 3 May 2004

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.191301

©2004 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

John Collins1, Alejandro Perez1, Daniel Sudarsky1,2, Luis Urrutia2, and Héctor Vucetich3,4

  • 1Physics Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
  • 2Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A. Postal 70-543, México D.F. 04510, México
  • 3Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A. Postal 70-543, México D.F. 04510, México
  • 4Observatorio Astronómico, Universidad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina

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Issue

Vol. 93, Iss. 19 — 5 November 2004

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