Related papers: Keck constraints on a varying fine-structure const…
We present 14 N^0 measurements from our HIRES/Keck database of damped Lya abundances. These data are combined with measurements from the recent and past literature to build an homogeneous, uniform set of observations. We examine…
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 high resolution ($\approx 8$ \kms) spectra of the QSO Q0201+365 obtained with HIRES, the echelle spectrograph on the 10m W.M. Keck Telescope. Although we identify over $80\%$ of the absorption features and analyze several of the…
We present measurements of absorption by the 21cm hyperfine transition of neutral hydrogen toward radio sources at substantial look-back times. These data are used in combination with observations of rotational transitions of common…
Any variation of the fundamental physical constants, and more particularly of the fine structure constant, $\alpha$, or of the mass of the electron, $m_e$, would affect the recombination history of the Universe and cause an imprint on the…
We investigate the spectro-photometric variability of quasars due to lensing of small mass substructure (from several tens to several hundreds solar masses). The aim of this paper is to explore the milli/microlensing influence on the flux…
We perform calculations of the dependence of nuclear magnetic moments on quark masses and obtain limits on the variation of $(m_q/\Lambda_{QCD})$ from recent measurements of hydrogen hyperfine (21 cm) and molecular rotational transitions in…
Theories unifying gravity and other interactions suggest the possibility of spatial and temporal variation of physical ``constants'' in the Universe. Detection of high-redshift absorption systems intersecting the sight lines towards distant…
We use the microlensing variability observed for eleven gravitationally lensed quasars to show that the accretion disk size at a rest-frame wavelength of 2500 Angstroms is related to the black hole mass by log(R_{2500}/cm)=(15.78\pm0.12) +…
In present paper we evaluate the fine structure constant variation, that should take place as the Universe expands and its curvature is changed adiabatically. Such variation of the fine structure constant is attributed to an energy losses…
Guo, Alexandradinata, \textit{et al.} have recently proposed that quantum-oscillation frequencies from Dirac/Weyl fermions exhibit a negative shift proportional to $T^2$ because of the energy dependence of the effective mass peculiar to a…
We report on constraints to the cosmological jerk parameter ($j$) and to possible variability of the fine-structure constant ($\Delta \alpha/\alpha$) based on stochastic quintessence models of dark energy, discussed by Chongchitnan and…
We use the strong nebular lines of O III, 5007 A and 4959 A, to set a robust upper limit on the time dependence of the fine structure constant. We find |alpha^{-1} d alpha(t)/dt | < 2*10^{-13} yr, corresponding to Delta alpha/alpha(0) =…
We present the constraints on the Quintessence scalar field model from the observational data of the variation of the fine structure constant obtained from Keck and VLT telescopes. Within the theoretical frame proposed by Bekenstein, the…
With an optical R-band magnitude of 15.2, the recently discovered z=3.911 BAL quasar APM 08279+5255 is an exceptionally bright high redshift source. Its brightness has allowed us to acquire a high signal-to-noise ratio (~100), high…
Ocean turbulence plays a key role in shaping large-scale circulation, heat uptake, and biogeochemical processes. The kinetic energy (KE) wavenumber spectrum is a fundamental diagnostic, quantifying how KE is distributed across spatial…
We have imaged 45 quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with redshifts 1.85 < z < 4.26 in JHKs with the KPNO SQIID imager. By combining these data with optical magnitudes from the SDSS we have computed the restframe optical…
The recent measurements of weak lensing by large-scale structure present significant new opportunities for studies of the matter distribution in the universe. Here, we present a new cosmic shear survey carried out with the Echelle…
Quasar absorption spectral data indicate the presence of a spatial gradient in the electromagnetic fine-structure constant $\alpha$ on cosmological length scales. We point out that experiments with accelerometers, including torsion pendula…
We investigate the variation of the fine-structure constant, {\alpha}, in symmetron models using N-body simulations in which the full spatial distribution of {\alpha} at different redshifts has been calculated. In particular, we obtain…