Related papers: Bounds on the fine structure constant variability …
The atomic spectra and structure of the open d- and f-shell elements are extremely complex, where tens of thousands of transitions between fine structure energy levels can be observed as spectral lines across the infrared and UV per…
Continuum intensity observations obtained with the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on-board the SoHO mission provide long time series of filtergrams that are ideal for studying the evolution of large-scale phenomena in the solar atmosphere…
Diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are weak and broad interstellar absorption features in astronomical spectra originating from unknown molecules. To measure DIBs in spectra of late-type stars more accurately and more efficiently, we…
The rise of nanotechnology has created an ever-increasing need to probe structures on the atomic scale, to which transmission electron microscopy has largely been the answer. Currently, the only way to efficiently thin arbitrary bulk…
We present a proof-of-principle study of variational quantum sensing for estimating a structured linear function of local phase parameters, in which each qubit in a spin-1/2 array accumulates a phase phi_i = alpha_i theta with known weights…
Spatial and temporal variations in the electron-to-proton mass ratio, mu, and in the fine-structure constant, alpha, are predicted in non-Standard models aimed to explain the nature of dark energy. Among them the so-called chameleon-like…
Wavelengths of absorption lines in the spectra of galaxies along the line-of-sight to distant quasars can be used to probe the variablility of the fine structure constant, $\alpha$, at high redshifts, provided that the laboratory…
We present a catalogue of MgII absorption systems obtained from high resolution UVES/VLT data of 77 QSOs in the redshift range 0.6 < z < 2.0, and down to an equivalent width W_0 > 0.1 \AA. The statistical properties of our sample are found…
We present a spectral-variability analysis of the low-redshift quasar PDS 456 using principal component analysis. In the XMM-Newton data, we find a strong peak in the first principal component at the energy of the Fe absorption line from…
Quasars are variable and their variability can both constrain their physical properties and help to identify them. We look for ways to efficiently identify quasars exhibiting consistent variability over multi-year time-scales, based on a…
Sensitivity of atomic transition frequencies to variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha=e^2/\hbar c$ increases proportional to $Z^2$ where $Z$ is the nuclear charge. Recently several lines of heavy ions Ge II, Sn II and Pb II have…
In this paper, a new data-adaptive method, called DAIS (Data Adaptive ISolation), is introduced for the estimation of the number and the location of change-points in a given data sequence. The proposed method can detect changes in various…
By using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) first year type Ia supernova (SN Ia) compilation, we compare two different approaches (traditional \chi^2 and complete likelihood) to determine parameter constraints when the magnitude dispersion…
DEM analysis is a major diagnostic tool for stellar atmospheres. But both its derivation and its interpretation are notably difficult because of random and systematic errors, and the inverse nature of the problem. We use simulations with…
Accurate direction of arrival (DoA) and time of arrival (ToA) estimation is an stringent requirement for several wireless systems like sonar, radar, communications, and dual-function radar communication (DFRC). Due to the use of high…
In order to probe a possible time variation of the fine-structure constant ($\alpha$), we propose a new method based on Strong Gravitational Lensing and Type Ia Supernovae observations. By considering a class of dilaton runaway models,…
We present a reanalysis of the HeII Lyman alpha absorption towards the quasars HS1700+6416 and HE2347-4342 using new high S/N, optical observations. An alternative analysis method is applied, which fits the high quality, optical HI data…
Three independent techniques are used to separate fine structure from the absorption spectra, the background function in which is approximated by (i) smoothing spline. We propose a new reliable criterion for determination of smoothing…
For decades, improved theory and experiment of the $n=2$ $^3$P fine structure of helium have allowed for increasingly-precise tests of quantum electrodynamics, determinations of the fine-structure constant $\alpha$, and limitations on…
Transition frequencies between low-lying energy levels in a single trapped $^{138}$Ba$^{+}$ ion have been measured with laser spectroscopy referenced to an optical frequency comb. By extracting the frequencies of one-photon and two-photon…