Quantum gravity phenomenology via Lorentz violations

Abstract

The search for a quantum theory of gravity has been one of the main aims of theoretical physics for many years by now. However the efforts in this direction have been often hampered by the lack of experimental/observational tests able to select among, or at least constrain, the numerous quantum gravity models proposed so far. This situation has changed in the last decade thanks to the realization that some QG inspired violations of Lorentz symmetry could be constrained using current experiments and observations. This study it is not only allowing us to test at higher and higher energies a fundamental symmetry of spacetime but it is also providing us with hints and perspectives about the fundamental nature of gravity.