Abstract
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are radio bursts characterized by millisecond durations, high Galactic latitude positions, and high dispersion measures. Very recently, the cosmological origin of FRB 150418 has been confirmed by Keane et al., and FRBs are now strong competitors as cosmological probes. The simple sharp feature of the FRB signal is ideal to probe some of the fundamental laws of physics. Here we show that by analyzing the delay time between different frequencies, the FRB data can place stringent upper limits on the rest mass of the photon. For FRB 150418 at z = 0.492, one can potentially reach mγ ≤ 5.2 × 10-47 g, which is 1020 times smaller than the rest mass of electron and is about 103 times smaller than that obtained using other astrophysical sources with the same method.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | L15 |
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| Volume | 822 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science
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Constraints on the photon mass with fast radio bursts. / Wu, Xue Feng; Zhang, Song Bo; Gao, He; Wei, Jun Jie; Zou, Yuan Chuan; Lei, Wei Hua; Zhang, Bing; Dai, Zi Gao; Mészáros, Peter.
In: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 822, No. 1, L15, 01.01.2016.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Constraints on the photon mass with fast radio bursts
AU - Wu, Xue Feng
AU - Zhang, Song Bo
AU - Gao, He
AU - Wei, Jun Jie
AU - Zou, Yuan Chuan
AU - Lei, Wei Hua
AU - Zhang, Bing
AU - Dai, Zi Gao
AU - Mészáros, Peter
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are radio bursts characterized by millisecond durations, high Galactic latitude positions, and high dispersion measures. Very recently, the cosmological origin of FRB 150418 has been confirmed by Keane et al., and FRBs are now strong competitors as cosmological probes. The simple sharp feature of the FRB signal is ideal to probe some of the fundamental laws of physics. Here we show that by analyzing the delay time between different frequencies, the FRB data can place stringent upper limits on the rest mass of the photon. For FRB 150418 at z = 0.492, one can potentially reach mγ ≤ 5.2 × 10-47 g, which is 1020 times smaller than the rest mass of electron and is about 103 times smaller than that obtained using other astrophysical sources with the same method.
AB - Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are radio bursts characterized by millisecond durations, high Galactic latitude positions, and high dispersion measures. Very recently, the cosmological origin of FRB 150418 has been confirmed by Keane et al., and FRBs are now strong competitors as cosmological probes. The simple sharp feature of the FRB signal is ideal to probe some of the fundamental laws of physics. Here we show that by analyzing the delay time between different frequencies, the FRB data can place stringent upper limits on the rest mass of the photon. For FRB 150418 at z = 0.492, one can potentially reach mγ ≤ 5.2 × 10-47 g, which is 1020 times smaller than the rest mass of electron and is about 103 times smaller than that obtained using other astrophysical sources with the same method.
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U2 - 10.3847/2041-8205/822/1/L15
DO - 10.3847/2041-8205/822/1/L15
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84994406630
VL - 822
JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters
JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters
SN - 2041-8205
IS - 1
M1 - L15
ER -