Generalized bumblebee models and Lorentz-violating electrodynamics

The breaking of Lorentz symmetry via a dynamical mechanism, with a tensor field which takes on a nonzero expectation value in vacuum, has been a subject of significant research activity in recent years. In certain models of this type, the perturbations of the Lorentz-violating field about this background may be identified with known forces. I present the results of applying this interpretation to the generalized bumblebee models found in a prior work. In this model, the perturbations of a Lorentz-violating vector field can be interpreted as a photon field. However, the speed of propagation of this bumblebee photon is direction-dependent and differs from the limiting speed of conventional matter, leading to measurable physical effects. Bounds on the parameters of this theory can then be derived from resonator experiments, accelerator physics, and cosmic-ray observations.