Related papers: Looking for a varying $\alpha$ in the Cosmic Micro…
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…
I review recent constraints on and claimed detections of a time-varying fine-structure constant $\alpha$, and discuss our own work, particularly on the effects of $\alpha$ in the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure. Our…
We extend our recent work on the effects of a time-varying fine-structure constant $\alpha$ in the cosmic microwave background, by providing a thorough analysis of the degeneracies between $\alpha$ and the other cosmological parameters, and…
We present a summary of recent constraints on the value of the fine-structure constant at the epoch of decoupling from the recent observations made by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite. Within the set of models…
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…
We study constraints on time variation of the fine structure constant alpha from cosmic microwave background (CMB) taking into account simultaneous change in alpha and the electron mass m_e which might be implied in unification theories. We…
We present a detailed analysis of present and future Cosmic Microwave Background constraints of the value of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$. We carry out a more detailed analysis of the WMAP first-year data, deriving state-of-the-art…
We study the cosmological constraints of the time variation of the electron mass $m_e$ and the fine-structure constant $\alpha$, using data of cosmic microwave background, supernovae light curve and baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data…
The formation of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) provides a very powerful probe of the early universe at the epoch of recombination. Specifically, it is possible to constrain the variation of fundamental physical constants…
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…
Endeavours of the unification of the four fundamental interactions have resulted in a development of theories having cosmological solutions in which low-energy limits of fundamental physical constants vary with time. The validity of such…
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 report the first results from the BOOMERanG experiment, which mapped at 90, 150, 240 and 410 GHz a wide (3%) region of the microwave sky with minimal local contamination. From the data of the best 150 GHz detector we find evidence for a…
Ongoing observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background, such as the MAXIMA and BOOMERanG projects, are providing datasets of unprecedented quality and ever-increasing size. Exact analysis of the data they produce is a serious computational…
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…
The constraints on the time variation of the fine structure constant at recombination epoch relative to its present value, $\Delta\alpha/\alpha \equiv (\alpha_{\mathrm{rec}} - \alpha_{\mathrm{now}})/\alpha_{\mathrm{now}}$, are obtained from…
Three peaks and two dips have been detected in the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background from the BOOMERANG experiment, at $\ell \sim 210, 540, 840$ and $\ell \sim 420, 750$, respectively. Using model-independent analyses, we…
There are indications from the study of quasar absorption spectra that the fine structure constant $\alpha$ may have been measurably smaller for redshifts $z>2.$ Analyses of other data ($^{149}$Sm fission rate for the Oklo natural reactor,…
One of the topical problems of contemporary physics is a possible variability of the fundamental constants. Here we consider possible variability of two dimensionless constants which are most important for calculation of atomic and…
We consider a long range scalar force that mainly couples to dark matter and unstable Standard Model states, like the muon, with tiny strength. Probing this type of force would present a challenge to observations. We point out that the…