Related papers: Methods for Constraining Fine Structure Constant E…
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…
We review the observational information on the constancy of the fine structure constant alpha. We find that small improvements on the measurement of ^{187}Re lifetime can provide significant progress in exploring the range of variability…
By integration of generalized BSBM and Brans-Dicke cosmological models, in this article, we investigate the theoretical framework of fine structure constant variation and current cosmic acceleration. We first develop a mathematical…
The enduring tension between local and distant measurements of $H_0$ remains unresolved. It was recently pointed out that cosmic microwave background (CMB) and large-scale structure (LSS) observables are invariant under a uniform rescaling…
Aims: A pilot project has been carried out to measure circumstellar CO emission from three OH/IR stars close to the Galactic centre. The intention was to find out whether it would be possible to conduct a large-scale survey for mass-loss…
We have previously presented 5.7-sigma evidence for a smaller alpha at redshifts 0.2 < z_abs < 3.7 from a sample of 128 Keck/HIRES quasar absorption systems: da/a = (-0.57 +/- 0.10) x 10^{-5}. A non-zero da/a manifests itself as a distinct…
The spectrograph ESPRESSO recently obtained a limit on the variation of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, through measurements along the line of sight of a bright quasar with a precision of $1.36$ ppm at $1\sigma$ level. This imposes…
Theories unifying gravity and other interactions suggest the possibility of spatial and temporal variation of physical ``constants'' in the Universe. Detection of high redshift absorption systems intersecting the sight lines towards distant…
The optical spectra of objects classified as QSOs in the SDSS DR6 are analyzed with the aim of determining the value of the fine structure constant in the past and then check for possible changes in the constant over cosmological…
Verification of theoretical predictions of an oscillating behavior of the fine-structure constant, alpha, with cosmic time requires high precision measurements at individual redshifts, while in earlier studies the mean Delta alpha/alpha…
Astrophysical tests of the stability of dimensionless fundamental couplings, such as the fine-structure constant $\alpha$, are an area of much increased recent activity, following some indications of possible spacetime variations at the few…
Comparisons between the redshifts of spectral lines from cosmologically-distant galaxies can be used to probe temporal changes in low-energy fundamental constants like the fine structure constant and the proton-electron mass ratio. In this…
We present an analysis of 23 absorption systems along the lines of sight towards 18 quasars in the redshift range of $0.4 \leq z_{abs} \leq 2.3$ observed on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) using the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle…
This article reviews the two major recent developments that significantly improved cosmological measurements of fundamental constants derived from high resolution quasar spectroscopy. The first one is the deployment of astronomical Laser…
Using the BSBM varying-alpha theory, with dark matter dominated by magnetic energy, and the spherical collapse model for cosmological structure formation, we have studied the effects of the dark-energy equation of state and the coupling of…
Despite much searching, redshifted decimetre and millimetre-band absorption by molecular gas remains very rare, limited to just six systems at z > 0.05. Detection of these transitions can yield precise diagnostics of the conditions of the…
Fundamental physical constants need not be constant, neither spatially nor temporally. -- This seeming simple statement has profound implications for a wide range of physical processes and interactions, and can be probed through a number of…
We present the results of a long-term monitoring campaign of the H\alpha line in a sample of bright OB-supergiants (O7.5-B9) that aims at detecting rotationally modulated changes potentially related to the existence of large-scale wind…
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…
Astrophysical tests of the stability of fundamental couplings, such as the fine-structure constant $\alpha$, are a powerful probe of new physics. Recently these measurements, combined with local atomic clock tests and Type Ia supernova and…