Particle interference as a test of Lorentz - violating electrodynamics

In Lorentz-violating electrodynamics a steady current (and similarly a static charge) generates both static magnetic and electric fields. These induced fields, acting on interfering particles, change the interference pattern. We find that particle interference experiments are sensitive to small Lorentz violating effects, and thus they can be used to improve current bounds on some Lorentz-violating parameters. Lorentz-violating electrodynamics. Historically the theory of Special Relativity has been established by studying properties of light which are described by Maxwell’s electrodynamics. Special Relativity identifies the Poincaré group as a spacetime symmetry group that underlies all fundamental physical laws of nature. Although no decisive departure from relativistic invariance has been observed so far, theoretical and experimental studies of possible small violations of this fundamental symmetry continue to attract considerable attention (see [1] and references therein). Currently the best laboratory tests of relativistic invariance are modern versions of the MichelsonMorley and Kennedy-Thorndike experiments using resonant cavities [2]. In this Letter we propose a new class of experiments to search for possible violation of Lorentz invariance in electrodynamics. Namely, we demonstrate that the standard quantum-mechanical particle interference can be significantly altered due to the effects which are entirely attributed to the Lorentz-violating interactions, and thus particle interference experiments can be used to improve current bounds on some Lorentz-violating parameters. Let us consider Lorentz-violating model of electrodynamics described by the Lagrangian [3], L = − 1 4 FμνF μν − jμA μ − 1 4 (κF )μνρσF F ρσ + 1 2 (κAF ) ǫαμνρA F νρ (1)