Related papers: Variation of $\alpha$ from a Dark Matter Force
We update the constraints on the time variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ and the electron mass $m_e$, using the latest CMB data, including the 7-yr release of WMAP. We made statistical analyses of the variation of each one of…
Under the assumption that the variations of parameters of nature and the current acceleration of the universe are related and governed by the evolution of a single scalar field, we show how information can be obtained on the nature of dark…
Ultralight scalar dark matter may induce apparent oscillations of the muon mass, which may be directly probed via temporal shifts in the spectra of muonium and muonic atoms. Existing datasets and ongoing spectroscopy measurements with…
Astrophysical observations suggest that the fine structure constant (alpha) may (or may not) be evolving over the cosmological time scale. This raises a much debated question: is alpha variation due to the variation of the speed of light…
I briefly present some current theoretical motivations for time or space variations of the fundamental constants of nature and review current key observational results. I focus on the fine-structure constant, and particularly on…
Scalar dark matter can interact with Standard Model (SM) particles, altering the fundamental constants of Nature in the process. Changes in the fundamental constants during and prior to Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) produce changes in the…
The conventional misalignment mechanism for scalar dark matter depends on the initial field value, which governs the oscillation amplitude and present-day abundance. We present a mechanism by which a feeble (Planck-suppressed) coupling of…
We introduce a model which allows the fine structure constant (alpha) to vary throughout space and time due to a coupling to a scalar field with a non-canonical kinetic structure. This provided a new extension of the…
It is well known that alternative theories to the Standard Model allow -- and sometimes require -- fundamental constants, such as the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, to vary in spacetime. We demonstrate that one way to investigate these…
We review recent activity searching for variations in the fundamental constants of nature in quasar absorption spectra and in the laboratory. While research in this direction has been ongoing for many decades, the topic has recently been…
We explore the scalar field obtained under the conformal transformation of the spacetime metric $g_{\mu\nu}$ from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame in $f(R)$ gravity. This scalar field is the result of the modification in the…
I review recent constraints on and claimed detections of a time-varying fine-structure constant $\alpha$. Our results are consistent with no variation in $\alpha$ from the epoch of recombination to the present day, and restrict any such…
We study a theory in which the electromagnetic field is disformally coupled to a scalar field, in addition to a usual non-minimal electromagnetic coupling. We show that disformal couplings modify the expression for the fine-structure…
We forecast the ability of future CMB and galaxy lensing surveys to constrain variations of the fine structure constant. We found that lensing data, as those expected from satellite experiments as Euclid could improve the constraint from…
We investigate the cosmological consequences of a simple theory in which the electric charge $e$ is allowed to vary. The theory is locally gauge and Lorentz invariant, and satisfies general covariance. We find that in this theory the fine…
We present a review of recent works devoted to the variation of the fine structure constant alpha, strong interaction and fundamental masses. There are some hints for the variation in quasar absorption spectra, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, and…
We consider a dark energy model with a relation between the equation of state parameter $w$ and the energy density parameter $\Omega_\phi$ derived from thawing scalar field models. Assuming the variation of the fine structure constant is…
A variation of fundamental constants of physics is proposed in a frame of static universe. It is shown when the velocity of light increases (decreases) the Planck's constant increases (decreases) and mass of bodies decreases (increases).…
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…
We study how the evolution of a Dark Energy Quintessence fluid is modified by the presence of a matter inhomogeneity. To do so, we study linear perturbations of a flat FLRW background containing dust and a slowly rolling scalar field. Under…