Related papers: New Constraints on Varying Alpha
We discuss the fundamental constants of physics in the Standard Model and possible changes of these constants on the cosmological time scale. The Grand Unification of the strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions implies relations…
Cosmological dark energy is a natural source of variation of the fine structure constant. Using a model-independent approach we show that once general assumptions about the alpha-varying interactions are made, astronomical probes of its…
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…
Searching for variations of nature's fundamental constants is a crucial step in our quest to go beyond our current standard model of fundamental physics. If they exist, such variations will be very likely driven by the existence of a new…
Testing possible variations in fundamental constants of nature is a crucial endeavor in observational cosmology. This paper investigates potential cosmological variations in the fine structure constant ($\alpha$) through a non-parametric…
I motivate and discuss some recent work on theories with varying constants, and consider some possible observational consequences and tests. Particular emphasis is given to models which can (almost) exactly mimic the predictions of standard…
In some extensions of the standard model of particle physics, the values of the fundamental coupling constants vary in space and time. Some observations of quasars hint at time and spatial variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$.…
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…
If the fine structure constant $\alpha =e^2/(\hbar c)$ were to change, then a number of interpretations would be possible, attributing this change either to variations in the electron charge, the dielectric constant of the vacuum, the speed…
There is a growing interest in astrophysical tests of the stability of dimensionless fundamental couplings, such as the fine-structure constant $\alpha$, as an optimal probe of new physics. The imminent arrival of the ESPRESSO spectrograph…
High resolution spectra of quasar absorption systems provide the best constraints on temporal or spatial changes of fundamental constants in the early universe. An important systematic that has never before been quantified concerns model…
We investigate constraints on the time variation of the fine structure constant between the recombination epoch and the present epoch, \Delta\alpha/\alpha \equiv (\alpha_{rec} - \alpha_{now})/\alpha_{now}, from cosmic microwave background…
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.…
We investigate a link between the running of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ and a time evolving scalar dark energy field. Employing a versatile parameterization for the equation of state, we exhaustively cover the space of dark energy…
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…
If the reported measurements of the time variation of the fine structure constant from observations of distant QSOs are correct, combined with the Oklo limit they would strongly constrain the class of the quintessence potential. If these…
Inaba recently used a simple model to suggest that Quantum Theory can result from a fluctuation in the cosmos. In this note we confirm this conclusion from a different and more general point of view. We then argue that this provides an…
Light scalar fields very naturally appear in modern cosmological models, affecting such parameters of Standard Model as electromagnetic fine structure constant $\alpha$, dimensionless ratios of electron or quark mass to the QCD scale,…
Sensitivity of the frequencies of twenty two atomic transitions to the variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ is calculated. The findings are to be used in search for possible variation of $\alpha$ across our Galaxy using high…
Recent detections of high-redshift absorption by both atomic hydrogen and molecular gas in the radio spectra of quasars have provided a powerful tool to measure possible temporal and spatial variations of physical `constants' in the…