Related papers: Bounds on the fine structure constant variability …
InGaAs Quantum Dots embedded in GaAs barriers, grown in inverted tetrahedral recesses of 7 {\mu}m edge, have showed interesting characteristics in terms of uniformity and spectral narrowness of the emission. In this paper we present a study…
Development of fundamental physics relies on the constancy of various fundamental quantities such as the fine structure constant. Detecting or constraining the possible time variations of these fundamental physical quantities is an…
We present evidence for variations in the fine-structure constant from Keck/HIRES spectra of 143 quasar absorption systems over the redshift range 0.2 < z_abs < 4.2. This includes 15 new systems, mostly at high-z (z_abs > 1.8). Our most…
Searches for spacetime variations of fundamental constants have entered an era of unprecedented precision. New, high quality quasar spectra require increasingly refined analytic methods. In this article, a continuation in a series to…
This article reviews the two major recent developments that significantly improved cosmological measurements of fundamental constants derived from high resolution quasar spectroscopy. The first one is the deployment of astronomical Laser…
We report on an attempt to accurately wavelength calibrate four nights of data taken with the Keck HIRES spectrograph on QSO PHL957, for the purpose of determining whether the fine structure constant was different in the past. Using new…
Searches for variations of fundamental constants require a comprehensive understanding of measurement errors. This paper examines a source of error that is usually overlooked: the impact of continuum placement error. We investigate the…
The cosmological variability of alpha is probed from individual observations of pairs of FeII lines. This procedure allows a better control of the systematics and avoids the influence of the spectral shifts due to ionization inhomogeneities…
Recent work by Webb {\it et al.} has provided indications of spatial variations of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, at a level of a few parts per million. Using a dataset of 293 archival measurements, they further show that a dipole…
We present the observations of a weak MgII absorption system detected at z~0.452 in the UVES high resolution spectrum of the QSO HE0001-2340. The weaker of the two MgII components forming the system shows associated absorptions due to SiI,…
We statistically analyse a recent sample of data points measuring the fine-structure constant alpha (relative to the terrestrial value) in quasar absorption systems. Using different statistical techniques, we find general agreement with…
We calculate the dependence of atomic transition frequencies on the fine structure constant, $\alpha = e^2/\hbar c$, for some ions of Ti, Mn, Na, C, and O. The results of these calculations will be used in the search for variation of alpha…
Mode separation, namely how sharply a distribution fragments into barrier-separated clusters, is a fundamental geometric property of densities, difficult to quantify in high dimensions. It is structurally distinct from dispersion, yet…
The fine structure constant, $\alpha$, sets the strength of the electromagnetic force. The Standard Model of particle physics provides no explanation for its value, which could potentially vary. The wavelengths of stellar absorption lines…
We summarize the attempts by our group and others to derive constraints on variations of fundamental constants over cosmic time using quasar absorption lines. Most upper limits reside in the range 0.5-1.5x10-5 at the 3sigma level over a…
An experiment that measured the parity-violating asymmetries in deep inelastic scattering was completed at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in experimental Hall A. From these asymmetries, a combination of the quark weak…
The [O III] $\lambda\lambda\ 4960,5008$ emission lines in the optical spectra of galaxies and quasars have been widely used to investigate the possible variation of the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ over cosmic time. In this work, we…
Quasar absorption spectra at 21-cm and UV rest-wavelengths are used to estimate the time variation of x=alpha^2 g_p mu, where alpha is the fine structure constant, g_p the proton g factor, and m_e/m_p=mu the electron/proton mass ratio. Over…
In a frequency-modulation spectroscopy experiment, using the radiation from a single frequency diode laser, the spectra of molecular iodine hyperfine structure near 640 nm were recorded on the transition $B^3\Pi_{0_u^{+}}-X^1\Sigma^+_{g}$.…
A sequence of photoluminescence spectroscopy based methods are used to rigorously identify and study all the main spectral features (more than thirty emission lines) of site controlled InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots (QDs) grown along [111]B in…