Searching for new physics with ultrahigh energy cosmic rays

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) that produce giant extensive showers of charged particles and photons when they interact in the Earth's atmosphere provide a unique tool to search for new physics. Of particular interest is the possibility of detecting a very small violation of Lorentz invariance such as may be related to the structure of space-time near the Planck scale of similar to 10(-35) m. We discuss here the possible signature of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) on the spectrum of UHECRs as compared with present observations of giant air showers. We also discuss the possibilities of using more sensitive detection techniques to improve searches for LIV in the future. Using the latest data from the Pierre Auger Observatory, we derive a best fit to the LIV parameter of 3.0(-3.0)(+1.5) x 10(-23), corresponding to an upper limit of 4.5 x 10(-23) at a proton Lorentz factor of similar to 2 x 10(11). This result has fundamental implications for quantum gravity models.