Related papers: Can hidden correlations mimic a variable fine stru…
The possible variation of the fine structure constant may be due to the non-minimal coupling of the electromagnetic field to a light scalar field which can be the candidate of dark energy. Its dynamical nature renders the fine structure…
Searches for variations of fundamental constants require a comprehensive understanding of measurement errors. This paper examines a source of error that is usually overlooked: the impact of continuum placement error. We investigate the…
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]…
The strongest transitions of Zn and CrII are the most sensitive to relative variations in the fine-structure constant ($\Delta\alpha/\alpha$) among the transitions commonly observed in quasar absorption spectra. They also lie within just…
The statistical properties of dark matter halos, the building blocks of cosmological observables associated with structure in the universe, offer many opportunities to test models for cosmic acceleration, especially those that seek to…
Absorption-line systems detected in high resolution quasar spectra can be used to compare the value of dimensionless fundamental constants such as the fine-structure constant, alpha, and the proton-to-electron mass ratio, mu = m_p/m_e, as…
We explore a possible time variation of the fine structure constant ($\alpha \equiv e^2/\hbar c$) using the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect measurements of galaxy clusters along with their X-ray observations. Specifically, the ratio of the…
Quasar spectra reveal a rich array of important astrophysical information about galaxies which intersect the quasar line of sight. They also enable tests of the variability of fundamental constants over cosmological time and…
We review recent activity searching for variations in the fundamental constants of nature in quasar absorption spectra and in the laboratory. While research in this direction has been ongoing for many decades, the topic has recently been…
We investigate how Einstein rings and magnified arcs are affected by small-mass dark-matter haloes placed along the line-of-sight to gravitational lens systems. By comparing the gravitational signature of line-of-sight haloes with that of…
We carry out a systematic investigation of the total mass density profile of massive (Mstar~3e11 Msun) early-type galaxies and its dependence on redshift, specifically in the range 0<z<1. We start from a large sample of SDSS early-type…
The fundamental constants at recombination can differ from their present-day values due to degeneracies in cosmological parameters, raising the possibility of yet-undiscovered physics coupled directly to the Standard Model. We study the…
We quantify the degree of nonlinearity and stochasticity of the clustering of biased objects, using cosmological N-body simulations. Adopting the peaks and the halos as representative biasing models, we focus on the two-point correlation of…
Last year I talked at this meeting about a possible time dependence of the QCD coupling constant $\alpha_s$. This year I shall look into the problem once more, without fully repeating the arguments given last year. Astrophysical indications…
Various classes of exotic singularity models have been studied as possible mimic models for the observed recent acceleration of the universe. Here we further study one of these classes and, under the assumption that they are…
The flux-ratio anomalies observed in multiply-lensed quasar images are most plausibly explained as the result of perturbing structures superposed on the underlying smooth matter distribution of the primary lens. The cold dark matter…
A general model for the cosmological evolution of the fine structure constant \alpha driven by a typical Quintessence scenario is presented. We consider a coupling between the Quintessence scalar \phi and the electromagnetic kinetic term…
Recent data on cosmological variation of the electromagnetic fine structure constant from distant quasar (QSO) absorption spectra have inspired a more general discussion of possible variation of other constants. We discuss variation of…
Redshift space distortion (RSD) observed in galaxy redshift surveys is a powerful tool to test gravity theories on cosmological scales, but the systematic uncertainties must carefully be examined for future surveys with large statistics.…
A theory of special inconstancy, in which some fundamental physical constants such as the fine-structure and gravitational constants may vary, is proposed in pregeometry. In the special theory of inconstancy, the \alpha-G relation of…