Lorentz noninvariance and the Eötvös experiments

Abstract

We explore the consequences of Lorentz noninvariance (LNI) for the Eötvös experiments in several models. It is shown that a violation of Lorentz invariance leads to an anomalous difference in the gravitational acceleration of two test masses which depends on their composition. Using the present experimental limits from the Eötvös experiments, we then derive a limit on the magnitude of a possible violation of Lorentz invariance in the model of Nielsen and Picek (NP). In an Appendix we present a detailed discussion of the contribution to the nuclear binding energy due to the weak interactions, which are the presumed source of the LNI effects in the NP model.