Related papers: Does the fine-structure constant vary with cosmolo…
We search for transient variations of the fine structure constant using data from a European network of fiber-linked optical atomic clocks. By searching for coherent variations in the recorded clock frequency comparisons across the network,…
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…
(Abridged) A procedure is suggested to explore the value of F = alpha^2/mu, where mu = m_e/m_p is the electron-to-proton mass ratio, and alpha is the fine-structure constant. The fundamental physical constants, which are measured in…
We relate possible cosmological variations in the mass ratio mu \equiv m_p/m_e and the fine structure constant alpha to long-range composition-dependent forces mediated by a scalar field. The differential acceleration eta in Eotvos-type…
A phenomenological model is proposed to explain the recent observed cosmological variation of the fine structure constant as an effect of the quantum vacuum, assuming a flat universe with cosmological constant $\Lambda$ in the cases…
Recent work by Webb {\it et al.} has provided indications of spatial variations of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, at a level of a few parts per million. Using a dataset of 293 archival measurements, they further show that a dipole…
We analyze the consistency of different astronomical data of the variation in the fine-structure constant obtained with KECK and VLT. We tested the consistency using the Student test and confidence intervals. We splited the data sets in to…
A new method for examining the possible space-time variation of the fine structure constant ($\alpha$) is proposed. The technique uses a relatively simple measurement with an optical resonator to compare atom-stabilized optical frequency…
Various classes of exotic singularity models have been studied as possible mimic models for the observed recent acceleration of the universe. Here we further study one of these classes and, under the assumption that they are…
We obtain constraints on the variation of the fundamental constants from the full shape of the redshift-space correlation function of a sample of luminous galaxies drawn from the Data Release 9 of the Baryonic Oscillations Spectroscopic…
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…
We present evidence for variations in the fine-structure constant from Keck/HIRES spectra of 143 quasar absorption systems over the redshift range 0.2 < z_abs < 4.2. This includes 15 new systems, mostly at high-z (z_abs > 1.8). Our most…
Recent observations on the quasar absorption spectra supply evidence for the variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$. In this paper, we propose another interpretation of the observational data on the quasar absorption spectra: a…
Starting from astrophysical indications that the fine structure constant might undergo a small cosmological time shift, we discuss the implications of such an effect from the point of view of particle physics. Grand unification implies…
Detecting any evolution of dimensionless in the ratios of physical quantities, such as the fine structure constant, would prove that the Weak Equivalence Principle is violated and lead to a paradigm shift in physics. High resolution…
The data from the QSO absorption lines indicating a nonzero time-variability of the fine-structure constant has been re-analyzed on the basis of a "damped-oscillator" fit, as motivated by the same type of behavior of a scalar field,…
The possibility of variation of the fundamental constants of nature has been a long-standing question, with important consequences for fundamental physics and cosmology. In particular, it has been shown that variations in the fine-structure…
Recent attempts to constrain cosmological variation in the fine structure constant, alpha, using quasar absorption lines have yielded two statistical samples which initially appear to be inconsistent. One of these samples was subsequently…
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…
Evidence from a large sample of quasar absorption-line spectra in damped Lyman-alpha systems has suggested a possible time variation of the fine structure constant alpha. The most statistically significant portion of this sample involves…