Related papers: Confronting Cosmology and New Physics with Fundame…
Astrophysical tests of the stability of fundamental couplings, such as the fine-structure constant $\alpha$, are becoming an increasingly powerful probe of new physics. Here we discuss how these measurements, combined with local atomic…
We derive strong observational limits on any possible large-scale spatial variation in the values of physical 'constants' whose space-time evolution is driven by a scalar field. The limits are imposed by the isotropy of the microwave…
We study the minimally and non-minimally coupled scalar field models as possible alternatives for dark energy, the mysterious energy component that is driving the accelerated expansion of the universe. After discussing the dynamics at both…
The accelerating expansion of the universe is the most surprising cosmological discovery in many decades. In this short review, we briefly summarize theories for the origin of cosmic acceleration and the observational methods being used to…
Recent astrophysical observations of quasar absorption systems indicate that the fine structure constant $\alpha$ and the proton-electron mass ratio $\mu$ may have evolved through the history of the universe. Motivated by these…
The $f(T)$ gravity is one of the extensions of teleparallel equivalent of general relativity, in which more general functions of the torsion scalar $T$ can be described. With the proposed functional form of $f(T) = \alpha T - \beta u^{-n} +…
In the context of the new standard LambdaCDM cosmology we resolve conflicts in the literature regarding fundamental aspects of the expansion of the universe and cosmic horizons and we link these concepts to observational tests. We derive…
The cosmological constant $\Lambda$ is a free parameter in Einstein's equations of gravity. We propose to fix its value with a boundary condition: test particles should be free when outside causal contact, e.g. at infinity. Under this…
We apply the technique of parameter-splitting to existing cosmological data sets, to check for a generic failure of dark energy models. Given a dark energy parameter, such as the energy density Omega_Lambda or equation of state w, we split…
We use recent astrophysical and local tests of the stability of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, to constrain a particular phenomenological but physically motivated class of models in which the dark energy equation of state can…
Review of recent works devoted to the temporal and spatial variation of the fundamental constants and dependence of the fundamental constants on the gravitational potential (violation of local position invariance) is presented. We discuss…
In this work, we consider the so-called $\Lambda(\alpha)$CDM cosmology with $\Lambda\propto\alpha^{-6}$ while the fine-structure "constant" $\alpha$ is varying. In this scenario, the accelerated expansion of the universe is driven by the…
Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes with a presently large fraction of the energy density stored in an $X$-component with $w_X<-1/3$, are considered. We find all the critical points of the system for constant equations of state in that…
In extensions of general relativity and in theories aiming at unifying gravity with the forces of the Standard Model, the value of the "fundamental constants" is often determined by the vacuum expectation value of new fields, which may thus…
Observation indicates that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating and favours a dynamical cosmological constant, \Lambda(t). We consider the possibility that this is due to a scalar field which has undergone a very recent phase…
Recently a phenomenological relationship for the observed cosmological constant has been discussed by Motl and Carroll in the context of treating the cosmological constant as a $2\times 2$ matrix but no specific realization of the idea was…
The evidence for the accelerated expansion of the universe and the time-dependence of the fine-structure constant suggests the existence of at least one scalar field with a mass of order H_0. If such a field exists, then it is generally…
As discussed in a number of recent papers, cosmological stasis is a phenomenon wherein the abundances of multiple cosmological energy components with different equations of state remain constant for an extended period despite the expansion…
Recent measurements require modifications in conventional cosmology by way of introducing components other than ordinary matter into the total energy density in the universe. On the basis of some dimensional considerations in line with…
We compute the time variation of the fundamental constants (such as the ratio of the proton mass to the electron mass, the strong coupling constant, the fine structure constant and Newton's constant) within the context of the so-called…