Related papers: Methods for Constraining Fine Structure Constant E…
Experiments aimed at searching for variations in the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ are based on spectroscopy of transitions in microscopic bound systems, such as atoms and ions, or resonances in optical cavities. The sensitivities of…
Detecting or placing upper limits on spacetime variations of fundamental constants requires quantifying every potential source of uncertainty. We continue our previous study into the impact of continuum variations on measurements of the…
We study the cosmological evolution of the fine structure constant, $\alpha$, and the proton-to-electron mass ratio, $\mu=m_p/m_e$, in the context of a generic class of models where the gauge kinetic function is a linear function of a…
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 examine the variation of the fine structure constant in the context of a two-field quintessence model. We find that, for solutions that lead to a transient late period of accelerated expansion, it is possible to fit the data arising from…
The fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, controls the strength of the electromagnetic interaction. There are extensions of the standard model in which $\alpha$ is dynamical on cosmological length and time-scales. The physics of the cosmic…
We discuss how laboratory experiments can be used to place constraints on possible variations of the fine structure constant alpha in the observationally relevant redshift interval z ~= 0 - 5, within a rather general theoretical framework.…
An attempt is made for a new type of analysis of the time-variability of the fine-structure constant trying to fit the most recent result from the laboratory measurements, the Oklo constraint and the data from the QSO absorption lines all…
Recent astrophysical observations of quasar absorption systems indicate that the fine structure constant $\alpha$ and the proton-electron mass ratio $\mu$ may have evolved through the history of the universe. Motivated by these…
The comparison of different atomic transition frequencies over time can be used to determine the present value of the temporal derivative of the fine structure constant alpha in a model-independent way without assumptions on constancy or…
Absorption line systems detected in quasar spectra can be used to compare the value of the fine-structure constant, {\alpha}, measured today on Earth with its value in distant galaxies. In recent years, some evidence has emerged of small…
The evolutionary state of blue supergiants is still unknown. Stellar wind mass loss is one of the dominant processes determining the evolution of massive stars, and it may provide clues on the evolutionary properties of blue supergiants. As…
We compare the redshifts of neutral carbon and carbon monoxide in the redshifted sources in which the fine structure transition of neutral carbon, [CI], has been detected, in order to measure space-time variation of the fundamental…
Cosmography is a phenomenological and relatively model-independent approach to cosmology, where physical quantities are expanded as a Taylor series in the cosmological redshift, or in related variables. Here we apply this methodology to…
Recently, white dwarf stars have found a new use in the fundamental physics community. Many prospective theories of the fundamental interactions of Nature allow traditional constants, like the fine structure constant $\alpha$, to vary in…
We present updated constraints on the variation of the fine structure constant, $\alpha_{\rm EM}$, and effective electron rest mass, $m_{\rm e}$, during the cosmological recombination era. These two fundamental constants directly affect the…
The strong intervening absorption system at redshift 1.15 towards the very bright quasar HE 0515$-$4414 is the most studied absorber for measuring possible cosmological variations in the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$. We observed HE…
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…
Higher-dimensional theories have the remarkable feature of predicting a time (and hence redshift) dependence of the `fundamental' four dimensional constants on cosmological timescales. In this paper we update the bounds on a possible…
A new method based on large-scale structure observations is proposed to probe a possible time variation of the fine-structure constant ($\alpha$). Our analyses are based on time-delay of Strong Gravitational Lensing and Type Ia Supernovae…