Exploring Lorentz Invariance Violation from Ultra-high-energy Gamma Rays Observed by LHAASO
Zhen Cao, F. Aharonian, Q. An, Axikegu, L. X. Bai, Y. X. Bai, Y. W. Bao, D. Bastieri, X. J. Bi, Y. J. Bi, H. Cai, J. T. Cai, Zhe Cao, J. Chang, J. F. Chang, B. M. Chen, E. S. Chen, J. Chen, Liang Chen, Liang Chen, Long Chen, M. J. Chen, M. L. Chen, Q. H. Chen, S. H. Chen, S. Z. Chen, T. L. Chen, X. L. Chen, Y. Chen, N. Cheng, Y. D. Cheng, S. W. Cui, X. H. Cui, Y. D. Cui, B. D'Ettorre Piazzoli, B. Z. Dai, H. L. Dai, Z. G. Dai, Danzengluobu, D. della Volpe, X. J. Dong, K. K. Duan, J. H. Fan, Y. Z. Fan, Z. X. Fan, J. Fang, K. Fang, C. F. Feng, L. Feng, S. H. Feng, Y. L. Feng, B. Gao, C. D. Gao, L. Q. Gao, Q. Gao, W. Gao, M. M. Ge, L. S. Geng, G. H. Gong, Q. B. Gou, M. H. Gu, F. L. Guo, J. G. Guo, X. L. Guo, Y. Q. Guo, Y. Y. Guo, Y. A. Han, H. H. He, H. N. He, J. C. He, S. L. He, X. B. He, Y. He, M. Heller, Y. K. Hor, C. Hou, X. Hou, H. B. Hu, S. Hu, S. C. Hu, X. J. Hu, D. H. Huang, Q. L. Huang, W. H. Huang, X. T. Huang, X. Y. Huang, Z. C. Huang, F. Ji, X. L. Ji, H. Y. Jia, K. Jiang, Z. J. Jiang, C. Jin, T. Ke, D. Kuleshov, K. Levochkin, B. B. Li, Cheng Li, Cong Li, F. Li, H. B. Li, H. C. Li, H. Y. Li, Jian Li, Jie Li, K. Li, W. L. Li, X. R. Li, Xin Li, Xin Li, Y. Li, Y. Z. Li, Zhe Li, Zhuo Li, E. W. Liang, Y. F. Liang, S. J. Lin, B. Liu, C. Liu, D. Liu, H. Liu, H. D. Liu, J. Liu, J. L. Liu, J. S. Liu, J. Y. Liu, M. Y. Liu, R. Y. Liu, S. M. Liu, W. Liu, Y. Liu, Y. N. Liu, Z. X. Liu, W. J. Long, R. Lu, H. K. Lv, B. Q. Ma, L. L. Ma, X. H. Ma, J. R. Mao, A. Masood, Z. Min, W. Mitthumsiri, T. Montaruli, Y. C. Nan, B. Y. Pang, P. Pattarakijwanich, Z. Y. Pei, M. Y. Qi, Y. Q. Qi, B. Q. Qiao, J. J. Qin, D. Ruffolo, V. Rulev, A. S'aiz, L. Shao, O. Shchegolev, X. D. Sheng, J. R. Shi, H. C. Song, Yu. V. Stenkin, V. Stepanov, Y. Su, Q. N. Sun, X. N. Sun, Z. B. Sun, P. H. T. Tam, Z. B. Tang, W. W. Tian, B. D. Wang, C. Wang, H. Wang, H. G. Wang, J. C. Wang, J. S. Wang, L. P. Wang, L. Y. Wang, R. N. Wang, W. Wang, W. Wang, X. G. Wang, X. J. Wang, X. Y. Wang, Y. Wang, Y. D. Wang, Y. J. Wang, Y. P. Wang, Z. H. Wang, Z. X. Wang, Zhen Wang, Zheng Wang, D. M. Wei, J. J. Wei, Y. J. Wei, T. Wen, C. Y. Wu, H. R. Wu, S. Wu, W. X. Wu, X. F. Wu, S. Q. Xi, J. Xia, J. J. Xia, G. M. Xiang, D. X. Xiao, G. Xiao, H. B. Xiao, G. G. Xin, Y. L. Xin, Y. Xing, D. L. Xu, R. X. Xu, L. Xue, D. H. Yan, J. Z. Yan, C. W. Yang, F. F. Yang, J. Y. Yang, L. L. Yang, M. J. Yang, R. Z. Yang, S. B. Yang, Y. H. Yao, Z. G. Yao, Y. M. Ye, L. Q. Yin, N. Yin, X. H. You, Z. Y. You, Y. H. Yu, Q. Yuan, H. D. Zeng, T. X. Zeng, W. Zeng, Z. K. Zeng, M. Zha, X. X. Zhai, B. B. Zhang, H. M. Zhang, H. Y. Zhang, J. L. Zhang, J. W. Zhang, L. X. Zhang, Li Zhang, Lu Zhang, P. F. Zhang, P. P. Zhang, R. Zhang, S. R. Zhang, S. S. Zhang, X. Zhang, X. P. Zhang, Y. F. Zhang, Y. L. Zhang, Yi Zhang, Yong Zhang, B. Zhao, J. Zhao, L. Zhao, L. Z. Zhao, S. P. Zhao, F. Zheng, Y. Zheng, B. Zhou, H. Zhou, J. N. Zhou, P. Zhou, R. Zhou, X. X. Zhou, C. G. Zhu, F. R. Zhu, H. Zhu, K. J. Zhu, X. Zuo
TL;DR
The paper tests Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) by searching for spectral cutoffs induced by LIV in ultra-high-energy gamma rays from LHAASO. It employs a forward-folding likelihood with two spectral forms and models a cutoff at $E_{\rm cut}$ due to photon decay $\gamma\to e^+e^-$ or photon splitting $\gamma\to 3\gamma$, using CL$_s$ with Monte Carlo to obtain 95% CL limits. Analysis of two PeV-scale sources yields $E_{\rm cut}^{95\%}=750$ TeV and 1140 TeV, translating to first- and second-order LIV scales $E_{\rm LIV}^{(1)} \approx 1.42\times 10^{33}$ eV (≈$10^5 M_{\rm pl}$) and $E_{\rm LIV}^{(2)} \gtrsim 10^{-3} M_{\rm pl}$, respectively. These constraints surpass previous results by at least an order of magnitude and provide the strongest gamma-ray-derived limits on superluminal LIV to date.
Abstract
Recently the LHAASO Collaboration published the detection of 12 ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources above 100 TeV, with the highest energy photon reaching 1.4 PeV. The first detection of PeV gamma rays from astrophysical sources may provide a very sensitive probe of the effect of the Lorentz invariance violation (LIV), which results in decay of high-energy gamma rays in the superluminal scenario and hence a sharp cutoff of the energy spectrum. Two highest energy sources are studied in this work. No signature of the existence of LIV is found in their energy spectra, and the lower limits on the LIV energy scale are derived. Our results show that the first-order LIV energy scale should be higher than about 10^5 times the Planck scale M_{pl} and that the second-order LIV scale is >10^{-3}M_{pl}. Both limits improve by at least one order of magnitude the previous results.