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Related papers: Constraining Variations in the Fine-structure Cons…

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We critically review the current null results on a varying fine-structure constant, alpha, derived from VLT/UVES quasar absorption spectra, focusing primarily on the many-multiplet analysis of 23 absorbers from which Chand et al. (2004)…

Astrophysics · Physics 2008-11-26 Michael T. Murphy , John K. Webb , Victor V. Flambaum

We have compared the frequency of high-redshift Hydrogen HI 21 cm absorption with that of associated molecular absorption in two quasars to place new (1 sigma) upper limits on any variation in y = g_p.alpha^2 (where alpha is the fine…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 M. J. Drinkwater , J. K. Webb , J. D. Barrow , V. V. Flambaum

We investigate the effect of variation in the value of the fine structure constant at high redshifts (recombination > z > 30) on the absorption of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at 21 cm hyperfine transition of the neutral atomic…

Astrophysics · Physics 2008-11-26 Rishi Khatri , Benjamin D. Wandelt

We present constraints on the spacetime variation of the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ at redshifts $2.5\le z<9.5$ using JWST emission-line galaxies. The galaxy sample consists of 621 high-quality spectra with strong and narrow [O III]…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2025-01-22 Linhua Jiang , Shuqi Fu , Feige Wang , Sarah E. I. Bosman , Zheng Cai , Hyunsung D. Jun , Zhiwei Pan , Fengwu Sun , Jinyi Yang , Huanian Zhang

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

Any time variation in the fine-structure constant alters the ionization history of the universe and therefore changes the pattern of cosmic microwave background fluctuations. We calculate the changes in the spectrum of these fluctuations as…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-10-31 Manoj Kaplinghat , Robert J. Scherrer , Michael S. Turner

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…

Observations of H2 spectra in the line-of-sight of distant quasars may reveal a variation of the proton-electron mass ratio mu=m_p/m_e at high redshift, typically for z>2. Currently four high-quality systems (Q0347-383, Q0405-443, Q0528-250…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2015-05-27 Wim Ubachs , Julija Bagdonaite , Michael T. Murphy , Ruth Buning , Lex Kaper

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

Searches for variations of fundamental constants require accurate measurement errors. There are several potential sources of errors and quantifying each one accurately is essential. This paper addresses one source of uncertainty relating to…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2022-12-02 Chung-Chi Lee , John K. Webb , Darren Dougan , Vladimir A. Dzuba , Victor V. Flambaum

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 perform a systematic Bayesian analysis of quark star equations of state under current multimessenger constraints, investigating the impact of prior assumptions and extreme-mass observations. Quark matter is modeled within an interacting…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2026-01-13 Wen-Jie Xie , Cheng-Jun Xia , Chen Zhang , Renxin Xu

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

We perform calculations of the dependence of nuclear magnetic moments on quark masses and obtain limits on the variation of the ratio of quark mass and strong interaction scale (m_q/Lambda_{QCD}) from recent atomic clock experiments with…

Atomic Physics · Physics 2016-09-08 V. V. Flambaum

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

The detection of a spatial variation of the fine-structure constant, alpha, based on study of quasar absorption systems has recently been reported. The physics that causes this alpha-variation should have other observable manifestations,…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2011-06-16 J. C. Berengut , V. V. Flambaum , J. A. King , S. J. Curran , J. K. Webb

We present an initial survey of Mg II absorption characteristics in the halos of a carefully constructed, volume-limited subsample of galaxies embedded in the spectroscopic part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We observed quasars near…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2015-05-14 Elizabeth J. Barton , Jeff Cooke

High resolution optical (HIRES/Keck) and UV (STIS/HST) spectra, covering a large range of chemical transitions, are analyzed for three single-cloud weak MgII absorption systems along the line of sight toward the quasar PG 1634+706. Weak…

Astrophysics · Physics 2008-11-26 J. C. Charlton , J. Ding , S. G. Zonak , C. W. Churchill , N. A. Bond , J. R. Rigby

New observations of the quasar HE0515$-$4414 have been made using the HARPS spectrograph on the ESO 3.6m telescope, aided by the Laser Frequency Comb (LFC). We present three important advances for $\alpha$ measurements in quasar absorption…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2021-03-08 Dinko Milaković , Chung-Chi Lee , Robert F. Carswell , John K. Webb , Paolo Molaro , Luca Pasquini