Related papers: The time variation of the fine structure constant:…
Last year I talked at this meeting about a possible time dependence of the QCD coupling constant $\alpha_s$. This year I shall look into the problem once more, without fully repeating the arguments given last year. Astrophysical indications…
At present several groups are analyzing astrophysical data in a search for time-variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$. Here we discuss how to exclude systematic effects caused by the changes in the isotope abundances during the…
Fundamental constants are a cornerstone of our physical laws. Any constant varying in space and/or time would reflect the existence of an almost massless field that couples to matter. This will induce a violation of the universality of free…
This thesis describes a detailed investigation of the effects of matter inhomogeneities on the cosmological evolution of the fine structure constant using the Bekenstein-Sandvik-Barrow-Magueijo (BSBM) theory. We briefly review the…
Testing possible variations in fundamental constants of nature is a crucial endeavor in observational cosmology. This paper investigates potential cosmological variations in the fine structure constant ($\alpha$) through a non-parametric…
Recent theoretical ideas and observational claims suggest that the fine structure constant alpha may be variable. We examine a spectrum of models in which alpha is a function of a scalar field. Specifically, we consider three scenarios:…
We present a theoretical calculation on the time-variability of the fine-structure constant to fit the result of the recent precise analysis of the measurement of the QSO absorption lines. We find the parameters and initial values of the…
There are obvious discrepancies among various experimental constraints on the variation of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$. We attempt to discuss the issue in the framework of de Sitter invariant Special Relativity (${\cal SR}_{c,R}$)…
Cosmography is a model-independent phenomenological approach to observational cosmology, relying on Taylor series expansions of physical quantities as a function of the cosmological redshift or other analogous variables. A recent work…
The remarkable detection of a spatial variation in the fine-structure constant, alpha, from quasar absorption systems must be independently confirmed by complementary searches. In this letter, we discuss how terrestrial measurements of…
The detection of a spatial variation of the fine-structure constant, alpha, based on study of quasar absorption systems has recently been reported. The physics that causes this alpha-variation should have other observable manifestations,…
Cosmography is a phenomenological and relatively model-independent approach to cosmology, where physical quantities are expanded as a Taylor series in the cosmological redshift, or in related variables. Here we apply this methodology to…
We consider different options for the search for possible variations of the fundamental constants. We give a brief overview of the results obtained with several methods. We discuss their advantages and disadvantages with respect to…
We use Bloch oscillations to transfer coherently many photon momenta to atoms. Then we can measure accurately the recoil velocity $\hbar k/m$ and deduce the fine structure constant $\alpha$. The velocity variation due to Bloch oscillations…
Astrophysical indications that the fine structure constant is time dependent are discussed in the framework of grand unification models. A variation of the electromagnetic coupling constant could either be generated by a corresponding time…
In this paper, we study the stability of commonly used filtration functions in topological data analysis under small perturbations of the underlying nonrandom point cloud. Relying on these stability results, we then develop a test procedure…
We calculate bounds on the variation of the fine structure constant at the time of primordial nucleosynthesis and at the time of neutral hydrogen formation. We use these bounds and other bounds from the late universe to test Bekenstein…
We relate the reported variation in the value of the fine structure constant to a possible non-universality of the gravitational interaction with respect to different particle generations.
We are pleased to present a Special Section on Statistics and Astronomy in this issue of the The Annals of Applied Statistics. Astronomy is an observational rather than experimental science; as a result, astronomical data sets both small…
In the geosciences, a recurring problem is one of estimating spatial means of a physical field using weighted averages of point observations. An important variant is when individual observations are counted with some probability less than…