Improved Test of Time Dilation in Special Relativity

Abstract

An improved test of time dilation in special relativity has been performed using laser spectroscopy on fast ions at the heavy-ion storage-ring TSR in Heidelberg. The Doppler-shifted frequencies of a two-level transition in 7Li+ ions at v=0.064c have been measured in the forward and backward direction to an accuracy of Deltanu/nu=1 x 10(-9) using collinear saturation spectroscopy. The result confirms the relativistic Doppler formula and sets a new limit of 2.2 x 10(-7) for deviations from the time dilation factor gamma(SR)=(1-v2/c2)(-1/2).

Quantum physics exploring gravity in the outer solar system: the SAGAS project

“…Towards the end of the nominal mission, this term is about 4 × 10 −9 and can therefore be measured by SAGAS with 3 × 10 −9 relative uncertainty. The best present limit on this type of test is 2.2 × 10 −7 [5], so SAGAS will allow an improvement by a factor ≈70. Considering a particular preferred frame, usually taken as the frame in which the 3K cosmic background radiation is isotropic, one can set an even more stringent limit.…”

“…In that case a putative effect will be proportional to (v S − v G )·v Sun / c 2 (cf. [5]), where v Sun is the velocity of the Sun through the CMB frame (≈350 km/s). Then SAGAS will allow a measurement with about 5 × 10 −11 relative uncertainty, which corresponds to more than three orders of magnitude improvement on the present limit.…”

Bounds on spin-dependent Lorentz violation from inverse Compton observations

“…Bounds on the Lorentz-violating coefficients for electrons come from clock comparison experiments [4,5], experiments with spin-polarized matter [6,7], Michelson-Morley experiments with cryogenic resonators [8,10,9,11], and Doppler effect measurements [12,13]. Finally, some of the best bounds come from high-energy astrophysics [14,15,16,17,18].…”

Lorentz violation andαdecay

“…Sensitive searches for Lorentz violation have included studies of matter-antimatter asymmetries for trapped charged particles [13,14,15] and bound state systems [16,17], determinations of muon properties [18,19], analyses of the behavior of spin-polarized matter [20,21], frequency standard comparisons [22,23,24,25], Michelson-Morley experiments with cryogenic resonators [26,27,28], Doppler effect measurements [29,30], measurements of neutral mesons [31,32,33,34,35,36], polarization measurements on the light from distant galaxies [37,38,39,40], high-energy astrophysical tests [41,42,43,44] and others. The results of these experiments set bounds on various SME coefficients.…”