Is there any evidence for extra-dimensions or quantum gravity effects from the delayed MeV-GeV photons in GRB 940217?
Abstract
The discovery of X-ray afterglows of GRBs, and the identification of host galaxies of GRBs, confirm the cosmological origin of GRBs. However, the discovery of the delayed MeV-GeV photons in GRB940217 imposes serious challenges for the standard emission model of GRB. Although the delayed MeV-GeV photons might be explained by some radiation emission mechanisms, the mystery of detecting an 18 GeV photon still remains unsolved. We suggest that the detection of the 18-GeV photon 4500 s after the keV/MeV burst in GRB 940217 provides a strong evidence for the existence of extra-dimensions and/or quantum gravity effects. The delay scale of the 18-GeV photon leads to an estimation of the fundamental energy scale, associated with the linear energy dependence of the speed of light, of the order of 2.1× 1015 GeV, which is consistent with the results obtained by another independent analysis on the data of OSSE and BATSE.
Turn this paper into a full lesson
ArcXiv compiles a staged curriculum from this paper: 8-12 lessons across beginner → advanced, synthesised section guides, visuals, flashcards, a quiz, exercises, and on-demand deep dives per section. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.