Drawing the bounds
Lorentz symmetry, at the base of special relativity, requires that an experiment's outcome remain independent of the laboratory's orientation or speed. Jay Tasson at Carleton College and colleagues have calculated experimental limits for 132 quantum field coefficients that could violate this rule.[1]
The study, published in Physical Review Letters, combines measurements of protons and neutrons in rotating helium and potassium atoms with electron experiments using torsion pendulums. The data show no unexpected signal within the measurement sensitivity.[1]
The meaning of absence
The standard model cannot fully explain dark matter or dark energy. For this reason, the presence of new models is always sensed on the horizon of physics.[1]
The absence of an effect may mean that these fields do not exist in the universe at all. The bounds narrow the search space of physics, guiding researchers to new inquiries.[1]