Related papers: Thomson scattering: One rate to rule them all
In some extensions of the standard model of particle physics, the values of the fundamental coupling constants vary in space and time. Some observations of quasars hint at time and spatial variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$.…
We propose a new method to constrain elastic scattering between dark matter (DM) and standard model particles in the early Universe. Direct or indirect thermal coupling of non-relativistic DM with photons leads to a heat sink for the…
The direct coupling between the Higgs field and the spacetime curvature, if finely tuned, is known to stabilize the Higgs boson mass. The fine-tuning is soft because the Standard Model (SM) parameters are subject to no fine-tuning thanks to…
The search for variation of the fundamental constants such as the fine structure constant $\alpha$ ($\alpha=e^2/\hbar c$) and the ratios of fundamental masses (e.g., electron to proton mass ratio $\mu=m_e/m_p$) is reviewed. Strong emphasis…
Recent cosmological tensions pose difficulties for $\Lambda$CDM. Forthcoming facilities will be able to check whether these tensions result from systematic effects or indeed with the $\Lambda$CDM model itself. However, these new data will…
The $\Lambda$CDM model successfully explains the majority of cosmological observations. However, the $\Lambda$CDM model is challenged by Hubble tension, a remarkable difference of Hubble constant $H_0$ between measurements from local probe…
We discuss present and future cosmological constraints on variations of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ induced by an early dark energy component having the simplest allowed (linear) coupling to electromagnetism. We find that current…
The Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies provide a unique opportunity to constrain simultaneous variations of the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ and Newton's gravitational constant $G$. Those correlated variations are possible in a…
In this paper we will list a few important goals that need to be addressed in the next decade, also taking into account the current discordances between the different cosmological probes, such as the disagreement in the value of the Hubble…
The coupling of photons and baryons by Thomson scattering in the early universe imprints features in both the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and matter power spectra. The former have been used to constrain a host of cosmological…
An accurate determination of the Hubble constant remains a puzzle in observational cosmology. The possibility of a new physics has emerged with a significant tension between the current expansion rate of our Universe measured from the…
The increasing precision in the determination of the Hubble parameter has reached a per cent level at which large-scale cosmic flows induced by inhomogeneities of the matter distribution become non-negligible. Here we use large-scale…
Observational constraints guide one forcefully to examine models in which the matter density is substantially less than critical density. Particularly noteworthy are those which are consistent with inflation. For these models, microwave…
The values of Hubble constant H0 by direct measurements with standard distance ladder are typically larger than those obtained from the observation of cosmic microwave background and the galaxy survey with inverse distance ladder. On the…
Observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) together with weak lensing measurements of the clustering of large scale cosmological structures and local measurements of the Hubble constant pose a challenge to the standard…
A self-consistent kinetic theory of Thomson scattering of an electromagnetic field by a non-uniform plasma is derived. We draw the readers' attention to the inconsistency in recent results on the Thomson scattering in inhomogeneous plasma,…
The Hubble constant ${H}_0$ is a crucial parameter in cosmology. However, different cosmic observations have resulted in varying posterior results for ${H}_0$, leading to what is known as the ${H}_0$ tension. In order to address this issue,…
Using a gauge-invariant formalism we derive and solve the perturbed cosmological equations for the BSBM theory of varying fine structure 'constant'. We calculate the time evolution of inhomogeneous perturbations of the fine structure…
Since the mass of the electron is very small relative to atomic masses, Thomson scattering of low-energy photons ($h\nu \ll m_ec^2$) produces thermal Doppler frequency shifts that are much larger than atomic Doppler widths. A method is…
The recombination history of the Universe depends exponentially on the temperature, T_0, of the cosmic microwave background. Therefore tiny changes of T_0 are expected to lead to significant changes in the free electron fraction. Here we…