Limits on an energy dependence of the speed of light from a flare of the active galaxy PKS 2155-304

Aharonian F, Akhperjanian AG, De Almeida UB, Bazer-Bachi AR, Becherini Y, Behera B, Beilicke M, Benbow W, Bernloehr K, Boisson C, Bochow A, Borrel V, Braun IV, Brion E, Brucker J, Brun P, Buehler R, Bulik T, Buesching I, Boutelier T, Carrigan S, Chadwick PM, Charbonnier A, Chaves RCG, Chounet LM, Clapson AC, Coignet G, Costamante L, Dalton M, Degrange B, Deil C, Dickinson HJ, Djannati-Atai A, Domainko W, Drury LO, Dubois F, Dubus G, Dyks J, Egberts K, Emmanoulopoulos D, Espigat P, Farnier C, Feinstein F, Fiasson A, Foerster A, Fontaine G, Fuessling M, Gabici S, Gallant YA, Gerard L, Giebels B, Glicenstein JF, Glueck B, Goret P, Hadjichristidis C, Hauser D, Hauser M, Heinz S, Heinzelmann G, Henri G, Hermann G, Hinton JA, Hoffmann A, Hofmann W, Holleran M, Hoppe S, Horns D, Jacholkowska A, De Jager OC, Jung I, Katarzynski K, Kaufmann S, Kendziorra E, Kerschhaggl M, Khangulyan D, Khelifi B, Keogh D, Komin N, Kosack K, Lamanna G, Lenain JP, Lohse T, Marandon V, Martin JM, Martineau-Huynh O, Marcowith A, Maurin D, Mccomb TJL, Medina C, Moderski R, Moulin E, Naumann-Godo M, De Naurois M, Nedbal D, Nekrassov D, Niemiec J, Nolan SJ, Ohm S, Olive JF, Wilhelmi EDO, Orford KJ, Osborne JL, Ostrowski M, Panter M, Pedaletti G, Pelletier G, Petrucci PO, Pita S, Puehlhofer G, Punch M, Quirrenbach A, Raubenheimer BC, Raue M, Rayner SM, Renaud M, Rieger F, Ripken J, Rob L, Rosier-Lees S, Rowell G, Rudak B, Ruppel J, Sahakian V, Santangelo A, Schlickeiser R, Schoeck FM, Schroeder R, Schwanke U, Schwarzburg S, Schwemmer S, Shalchi A, Skilton JL, Sol H, Spangler D, Stawarz L, Steenkamp R, Stegmann C, Superina G, Tam PH, Tavernet JP, Terrier R, Tibolla O, van Eldik C, Vasileiadis G, Venter C, Vialle JP, Vincent P, Vivier M, Voelk HJ, Volpe F, Wagner SJ, Ward M, Zdziarski AA, Zech A (2008)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2008

Journal

Publisher: American Physical Society

Book Volume: 101

Article Number: 170402

Journal Issue: 17

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.170402

Abstract

In the past few decades, several models have predicted an energy dependence of the speed of light in the context of quantum gravity. For cosmological sources such as active galaxies, this minuscule effect can add up to measurable photon-energy dependent time lags. In this Letter a search for such time lags during the High Energy Stereoscopic System observations of the exceptional very high energy flare of the active galaxy PKS 2155-304 on 28 July 2006 is presented. Since no significant time lag is found, lower limits on the energy scale of speed of light modifications are derived. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Centre CEA de Saclay (Essonne) France (FR) Universität Hamburg (UHH) Germany (DE) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR) Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences Poland (PL) Noordwes-Universiteit / North-West University South Africa (ZA) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Univerzita Karlova v Praze / Charles University in Prague Czech Republic (CZ) Université Joseph Fourier (UJF Grenoble 1) France (FR) Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Germany (DE) Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) Ireland (IE) Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) Germany (DE) Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) / Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics Germany (DE) Centre d’étude spatiale des rayonnements (CESR) France (FR) Durham University United Kingdom (GB) Institut national de physique nucléaire et de physique des particules (IN2P3) France (FR) Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg Germany (DE) University of Leeds United Kingdom (GB) Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Germany (DE) Yerevan Physics Institute (YerPhI) / Երևանի Ֆիզիկայի Ինստիտուտ Armenia (AM) Jagiellonian University / Uniwersytet Jagielloński (UJ) Poland (PL) Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) / Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu (UMK) Poland (PL) University of Adelaide Australia (AU) University of Namibia (UNAM) Namibia (NA) Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences / Instytut Fizyki Jądrowej im. Henryka Niewodniczańskiego Polskiej Akademii Nauk Poland (PL)

How to cite

APA:

Aharonian, F., Akhperjanian, A.G., De Almeida, U.B., Bazer-Bachi, A.R., Becherini, Y., Behera, B.,... Zech, A. (2008). Limits on an energy dependence of the speed of light from a flare of the active galaxy PKS 2155-304. Physical Review Letters, 101(17). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.170402

MLA:

Aharonian, F., et al. "Limits on an energy dependence of the speed of light from a flare of the active galaxy PKS 2155-304." Physical Review Letters 101.17 (2008).

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