RUI: Lorentz and CPT Violation in Particles and in Gravity

This award funds the research activities of Professor Matthew Mewes at California Polytechnic State University.

Lorentz invariance is the mathematical principle which implies that the laws of physics do not depend on the speed or orientation of the experiment through which they are tested. Lorentz invariance is a feature of our two most fundamental descriptions of Nature, the Standard Model of particle physics and General Relativity. The Standard Model provides a complete characterization of subatomic particles and physics on very small distance scales, while General Relativity explains gravity and is relevant on large scales.

Physicists believe that these two theories can be combined into a single all-encompassing unified theory. However, decades of research have failed to produce a definitive unified theory. The research of Professor Mewes focuses on an approach to this problem that involves a possible breakdown of Lorentz invariance itself.

This breakdown might arise from a unifying theory, and any detection of Lorentz-invariance violation would provide valuable clues that could help uncover the unifying theory. The goal of this research project is to extend the existing theoretical description of potential Lorentz-invariance violations and to identify their resulting experimental signatures.

This research advances the national interest by promoting science in one of its most fundamental directions: the discovery and understanding of new physical laws. Moreover, parts of this work will be accessible to undergraduates and will provide research opportunities for physics majors at Cal Poly, a primarily undergraduate institution. Students involved in this research will gain valuable exposure to theoretical physics.

More technically, Professor Mewes aims to fill several gaps in the theoretical framework known as the Standard-Model-Extension. The Standard-Model Extension provides a general description of Lorentz-invariance violation in particles and in gravity. One goal is to study the effects in gravity.

The gravity sector of the Standard-Model Extension includes many different types of Lorentz violations, many of which have yet to be fully characterized. This work will extend the existing formalism and examine the effects in gravitational waves and Newtonian gravity. This research will also study the effects of violations in particles, with particular focus on interactions and on neutrinos.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.