Related papers: Spatial variation of fundamental constants: testin…
We introduce a method for identifying "twin" Type Ia supernovae, and using them to improve distance measurements. This novel approach to Type Ia supernova standardization is made possible by spectrophotometric time series observations from…
Observations of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) reveal correlations between their luminosities and light-curve shapes, and between their spectral sequence and photometric sequence. Assuming SNe Ia do not evolve at different redshifts, the…
We have shown that the varying physical constant model is consistent with the recently published variational approach wherein Einstein equations are modified to include the variation of the speed of light c, gravitational constant G and…
The past ten years have seen a tremendous increase in the number of Type Ia supernovae discovered and in the quality of the basic data presented. The cosmological results based on distances to Type Ia events have been spectacular, leading…
In this paper, the suitability of fast-declining Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) as cosmological standard candles is examined utilizing a Hubble Flow sample of 43 of these objects observed by the Carnegie Supernova Project (CSP). We confirm…
Fundamental constants are a cornerstone of the physical laws. Any constant varying in space and/or time would signal a violation of local position invariance and be associated with a violation of the universality of free fall, and hence of…
The data of type Ia supernovae observed by the High-z SN Search Team and Supernova Cosmology Project are analyzed in inhomogeneous cosmological models with a local void on scales of about 200 Mpc, to derive the best-fit values of model…
We present 2603 spectra of 462 nearby Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia) obtained during 1993-2008 through the Center for Astrophysics Supernova Program. Most of the spectra were obtained with the FAST spectrograph at the FLWO 1.5m telescope and…
Theoretical models predict that the initial metallicity of the progenitor of a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) affects the peak of the supernova light curve. This can cause a deviation from the standard light curve calibration employed when using…
A fundamental presupposition of modern cosmology is the Copernican Principle; that we are not in a central, or otherwise special region of the Universe. Studies of Type Ia supernovae, together with the Copernican Principle, have led to the…
The fundamental constants at recombination can differ from their present-day values due to degeneracies in cosmological parameters, raising the possibility of yet-undiscovered physics coupled directly to the Standard Model. We study the…
I argue that the laws of physics should be independent of one's choice of units or measuring apparatus. This is the case if they are framed in terms of dimensionless numbers such as the fine structure constant, alpha. For example, the…
This article describes the various experimental bounds on the variation of the fundamental constants of nature. After a discussion on the role of fundamental constants, of their definition and link with metrology, the various constraints on…
Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) have been intensively investigated due to its great homogeneity and high luminosity, which make it possible to use them as standardizable candles for the determination of cosmological parameters. In 2011, the…
We review recent progress in the study of varying constants and attempts to explain the observed values of the fundamental physical constants. We describe the variation of $G$ in Newtonian and relativistic scalar-tensor gravity theories. We…
The sample variance due to our local density fluctuations in measuring our local Hubble-constant ($H_0$) can be reduced to the percentage level by choosing the Hubble-flow type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) outside of the homogeneity scale. In…
We argue that models in which an observable variation of the fine structure constant is explained by motion of a cosmic scalar field, are not stable under renormalization, and require massive fine tuning that cannot be explained by any…
We study a sample of 16 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) having both spectroscopic and photometric observations within 2 $-$ 3 days after the first light. The early $B-V$ colors of such a sample tends to show a continuous distribution. For…
For Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observed through a non-uniform interstellar medium (ISM) in its host galaxy, we investigate whether the non-uniformity can cause observable time variations in dust extinction and in gas absorption due to the…
I review the use of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) for cosmological distance determinations. Low-redshift SNe Ia (z <~ 0.1) demonstrate that the Hubble expansion is linear, that H_0 = 65 +/- 2 (statistical) km/s/Mpc, and that the properties of…