Paper “Is there new physics beyond 30 TeV in the BOAT?” (DOI: 10.1016/j.dark.2026.102389) was published in Physics of the Dark Universe. The authors are Filip Reščić, Luis Recabarren Vergara, Michele Doro (University of Padova), and Tomislav Terzić. The paper can also be found in ArXiv: 2511.15542.

BOAT (brightest of all time) refers to GRB 221009A, the brightest gamma-ray burst ever recorded. We show that its spectrum, as measured by the LHAASO observatory up to multi-TeV energies, can be used to test quadratic subluminal Lorentz invariance violation (LIV), which would enhance the observed flux at the highest energies. In our interpretation, the energy range above about 30 TeV, where the LIV signal is expected, deserves further investigation.

Paper abstract: The exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A, detected up to multi-TeV energies by the LHAASO observatory, provides a unique opportunity to probe possible deviations from standard photon propagation at extreme energies. In particular, it allows to test quadratic subluminal Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV) scenarios through a potential enhancement of the observed flux at the highest energies. We argue that excesses in the GRB 221009A data currently classified as non-detections at energies E ≳ 30 TeV warrant further investigation, as they may indicate a recovery of the observable spectrum consistent with the LIV-induced suppression of γγ → e⁻e⁺ interactions during propagation. The absence of such a signature would allow one to exclude previously unexplored regions of the parameter space associated with the energy scale of new physics.