English
Related papers

Related papers: Does the fine structure constant vary? A third qua…

200 papers

We propose a new probe of the dependence of the fine structure constant, alpha, on a strong gravitational field using metal lines in the spectra of white dwarf stars. Comparison of laboratory spectra with far-UV astronomical spectra from…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2013-07-10 J. C. Berengut , V. V. Flambaum , A. Ong , J. K. Webb , John D. Barrow , M. A. Barstow , S. P. Preval , J. B. Holberg

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…

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology · Physics 2016-09-06 C. J. A. P. Martins

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…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-04 Matteo Martinelli , Eloisa Menegoni , Alessandro Melchiorri

Time variability of astronomical sources provides crude information on their typical size and on the implied physical mechanisms. PKS1830-211 is a remarkable radio-bright lensed quasar with a foreground molecular absorber at z=0.89.…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2024-09-02 S. Muller , I. Marti-Vidal , F. Combes , M. Gerin , A. Beelen , C. Horellou , M. Guelin , S. Aalto , J. H. Black , E. van Kampen

We report coincident damped Lyman alpha (DLA) and sub-DLA absorption at z = 2.66 and z = 2.94 towards the z ~ 3 13.8 arcsecond separation binary quasar SDSS 1116+4118 AB. At the redshifts of the absorbers, this angular separation…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-06-23 Sara L. Ellison , Joseph F. Hennawi , Crystal L. Martin , Jesper Sommer-Larsen

We study dependence of the CMB temperature anisotropy spectrum on the value of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ and the equation of state of the dark energy component of the total density of the universe. We find that bounds imposed on…

Astrophysics · Physics 2014-10-13 Greg Huey , Stephon Alexander , Levon Pogosian

We use the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy data from Planck to constrain the spatial fluctuations of the fine-structure constant \alpha. Through Thompson scattering of CMB photons, spatial anisotropies of \alpha lead to…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2013-06-07 Jon O'Bryan , Joseph Smidt , Francesco De Bernardis , Asantha Cooray

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…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2019-03-12 C. J. A. P. Martins , M. Prat Colomer

Spatial and temporal variations in the electron-to-proton mass ratio, mu, and in the fine-structure constant, alpha, are predicted in non-Standard models aimed to explain the nature of dark energy. Among them the so-called chameleon-like…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-20 S. A. Levshakov , I. I. Agafonova , P. Molaro , D. Reimers

The new result on the QSO absorption lines from VLT-UVES sample is compared with the past reports on the time-variability of the fine-structure "constant" derived from the Keck/HIRES observation, on the basis of an oscillatory behavior of…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-10 Yasunori Fujii , Shuntaro Mizuno

Exploring the possibility that fundamental constants of Nature might vary temporally or spatially constitutes one of the key science drivers for the European Southern Observatory's ESPRESSO spectrograph on the VLT and for the HIRES…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2021-04-21 Chung-Chi Lee , John K. Webb , R. F. Carswell , Dinko Milaković

We consider the problem of the evolution of the fine structure coefficient alpha under the assumption that the scalar field coupling to the Maxwell term satisfies the condition mt>>1 for coherent dark matter oscillations. In this case we…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-10 M. G. Barnett , R. Dick , K. E. Wunderle

Testing possible variations in fundamental constants of nature is a crucial endeavor in observational cosmology. This paper investigates potential cosmological variations in the fine structure constant ($\alpha$) through a non-parametric…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2024-10-30 Marcelo Ferreira , Rodrigo F. L. Holanda , Javier E. Gonzalez , L. R. Colaço , Rafael C. Nunes

The remarkable detection of a spatial variation in the fine-structure constant, alpha, from quasar absorption systems must be independently confirmed by complementary searches. In this letter, we discuss how terrestrial measurements of…

Atomic Physics · Physics 2012-09-11 J. C. Berengut , V. V. Flambaum

Recent updated results of quasar spectra suggested a 3.9$\sigma$ significance of spatial variation of the fine-structure constant. Theoretically, it is important to examine whether the fine-structure constant, as a fundamental constant in…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2020-11-17 Zhe Chang , Qing-Hua Zhu

Recent measurements of a peak in the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background appear to suggest that geometry of the universe is close to being flat. But if other accepted indicators of cosmological parameters are also…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-10-31 R. A. Battye , R. Crittenden , J. Weller

We review some string-inspired theoretical models which incorporate a correlated spacetime variation of coupling constants while remaining naturally compatible both with phenomenological constraints coming from geochemical data (Oklo;…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2007-05-23 Thibault Damour

The possible variation of the electromagnetic fine structure constant $\alpha_e$ on cosmological scales arouses great interests in recent years. The strongly lensed gravitational waves and the electromagnetic counterparts could be used to…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2018-09-05 Xin Li , Li Tang , Hai-Nan Lin , Li-Li Wang

The fine structure constant, alpha, is shown to be proportional to the ratio of the quanta of electric and magnetic flux of force of the electron, and provides a new representation, which is global across all unit systems. Consequently, a…

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology · Physics 2023-03-14 Michael Edmund Tobar