On Modified Dispersion Relations and the Chandrasekhar Mass Limit.pdf

On Modified Dispersion Relations and the Chandrasekhar Mass Limit Michael Gregg1 and Seth A. Major1, ∗ 1Department of Physics, Hamilton College, Clinton NY 13323 USA (Dated: June 2008) 8 0 Abstract 0 2 Modified dispersion relations from effective field theory are shown to alter the Chandrasekhar n u mass limit. At exceptionally high densities, the modifications affect the pressure of a degenerate J 3 electron gas and can increase or decrease the mass limit, depending on the sign of the modifica- 2 tions. These changes to the mass limit are unlikely to be relevant for the astrophysics of white ] h dwarf or neutron stars due to well-known dynamical instabilities that occur at lower densities. p - o Generalizations to frameworks other than effective field theory are discussed. r t s a [ 1 v 6 9 4 3 . 6 0 8 0 : v i X r a ∗Electronic address: smajor@hamilton.edu 1 I. INTRODUCTION The principle of Lorentz Invariance is at the heart of the contemporary formulation of physical theory, in particular the Standard Model and general relativity. Given the central- ity of Lorentz Invariance (LI) it is wise to explore as many avenues as possible that test this principle. One avenue investigated in recent years is the physics of modified dispersion relations (MDR). A remarkable result of these studies is that astrophysical data significantly limit Planck scale - suppressed modifications (see e.g. [1, 2] for reviews). The successful limits on the modifications are due to the high degree of sensiti