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Large statistical samples of quasar spectra have previously indicated possible cosmological variations in the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$. A smaller sample of higher signal-to-noise ratio spectra, with dedicated calibration, would…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-22 T. M. Evans , M. T. Murphy , J. B. Whitmore , T. Misawa , M. Centurion , S. D'Odorico , S. Lopez , C. J. A. P. Martins , P. Molaro , P. Petitjean , H. Rahmani , R. Srianand , M. Wendt

The Single Ion Differential alpha Measurement (SIDAM) method for measuring fine stucture variations (daa)and its figures of merit are illustrated together with the results produced by means of FeII absorption lines of QSO intervening…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-06-23 Paolo Molaro , Dieter Reimers , Irina I. Agafonova , Sergei A. Levshakov

At redshifts z_abs < 2, quasar absorption-line constraints on space-time variations in the fine-structure constant, alpha, rely on the comparison of MgII and FeII transition wavelengths. One potentially important uncertainty is the relative…

Astrophysics · Physics 2008-11-26 Y. Fenner , M. T. Murphy , B. K. Gibson

(abridged) We present a new analysis of a large sample of quasar absorption-line spectra obtained using UVES (the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph) on the VLT (Very Large Telescope) in Chile. In the VLT sample (154 absorbers), we…

Theories unifying gravity with other interactions suggest spatial and temporal variation of fundamental ``constants'' in the Universe. A change in the fine structure constant, alpha, could be detected via shifts in the frequencies of atomic…

Previous, large samples of quasar absorption spectra have indicated some evidence for relative variations in the fine-structure constant ($\Delta\alpha/\alpha$) across the sky. However, they were likely affected by long-range distortions of…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2017-08-02 Michael T. Murphy , Kathy L. Cooksey

Development of fundamental physics relies on the constancy of various fundamental quantities such as the fine structure constant. Detecting or constraining the possible time variations of these fundamental physical quantities is an…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-10 H. Chand , R. Srianand , P. Petitjean , B. Aracil

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

We assess the cosmological variability of the fine-structure constant from the analysis of an ensemble of Fe II absorption lines at the redshift z=1.15 toward the QSO HE 0515-4414 by means of the standard many-multiplet (MM) technique and…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-10 Ralf Quast , Dieter Reimers , Sergei A. Levshakov

We report unbiased AI measurements of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ in two proximate absorption regions in the spectrum of the quasar HE0515$-$4414. The data are high resolution, high signal to noise, and laser frequency comb…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2025-03-18 John K. Webb , Chung-Chi Lee , Dinko Milakovic , Victor V. Flambaum , Vladimir A. Dzuba , Joao Magueijo

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…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2013-08-27 Lucila Kraiselburd , Susana J. Landau , Claudio Simeone

QSO absorption spectra provide an extremely useful probe of possible cosmological variation in various physical constants. Comparison of H I 21cm absorption with corresponding molecular (rotational) absorption spectra allows us to constrain…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-08-18 M. T. Murphy , J. K. Webb , V. V. Flambaum , M. J. Drinkwater , F. Combes , T. Wiklind

Absorption spectroscopy toward high-redshift quasars provides strong constraints on the putative variation of fundamental constants of physics on cosmological time scales. The submillimeter ground-state transitions of methylidyne (CH) and…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2026-02-25 S. Muller , A. Beelen , M. Guelin , J. H. Black , F. Combes , H. L. Bethlem , M. Gerin , C. Henkel , K. M. Menten , M. T. Murphy , W. Ubachs , N. Wozny

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…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2024-10-02 John K. Webb , Chung-Chi Lee , Dinko Milaković , Darren Dougan , Vladimir A. Dzuba , Victor V. Flambaum

We present high resolution optical spectra obtained with the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and 21-cm absorption spectra obtained with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) and the…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-05 H. Rahmani , R. Srianand , N. Gupta , P. Petitjean , P. Noterdaeme , D. Albornoz Vasquez

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…

Cosmological variations in the fine structure constant, alpha, can be probed through precise velocity measurements of metallic absorption lines from intervening gas clouds seen in spectra of distant quasars. Data from the Keck/HIRES…

Astrophysics · Physics 2019-08-13 Paolo Molaro , Michael T. Murphy , Sergei Levshakov

Observations of the redshift z=7.085 quasar J1120+0641 have been used to search for variations of the fine structure constant, alpha, over the redshift range 5.5 to 7.1. Observations at z=7.1 probe the physics of the universe when it was…

Most of the successful physical theories rely on the constancy of few fundamental quantities (such as the speed of light, $c$, the fine-structure constant, \alpha, the proton to electron mass ratio, \mu, etc), and constraining the possible…

Astrophysics · Physics 2008-11-26 Raghunathan Srianand , Hum Chand , Patrick Petitjean , Bastien Aracil

The cosmological variability of alpha is probed from individual observations of pairs of FeII lines. This procedure allows a better control of the systematics and avoids the influence of the spectral shifts due to ionization inhomogeneities…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-11 P. Molaro , M. Centurion , S. D'Odorico , S. Levshakov