Thursday, September 25, 2008, 16:00
WHGA Auditorium
R. Lehnert, MPI München
Abstract:
One of the most important open questions in our understanding of Nature
at the fundamental level is a unified description of quantum theory and
gravity. Although there are a variety of theoretical approaches to this
issue, experimental advances in this field are hampered by the expected
Planck suppression of quantum-gravity effects. However, violations of
spacetime symmetries have recently been identified as promising
signatures: several models for underlying physics can accommodate
minuscule Lorentz and CPT breakdown, and such effect are amenable to
ultrahigh-precision tests. This talk will give an overview of the
subject. In particular, topics such as motivations, the SME test model,
mechanisms for relativity violations, and experimental tests will be
discussed.