Related papers: Revisiting VLT/UVES constraints on a varying fine-…
We review some of the history and properties of theories for the variation of the gravitation and fine structure 'constants'. We highlight some general features of the cosmological models that exist in these theories with reference to…
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…
We present a theoretical calculation on the time-variability of the fine-structure constant to fit the result of the recent precise analysis of the measurement of the QSO absorption lines. We find the parameters and initial values of the…
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…
Star-forming galaxies at high redshifts are the ideal targets to probe the hypothetical variation of the fine-structure constant alpha over cosmological time scales. We propose a modification of the alkali doublets method which allows us to…
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…
Massively multiplexed spectrographs will soon gather large statistical samples of stellar spectra. The accurate estimation of uncertainties on derived parameters, such as line-of-sight velocity $v_\mathrm{los}$, especially for spectra with…
We present the constraints on the Quintessence scalar field model from the observational data of the variation of the fine structure constant obtained from Keck and VLT telescopes. Within the theoretical frame proposed by Bekenstein, the…
The constraints on the time variation of the fine structure constant at recombination epoch relative to its present value, $\Delta\alpha/\alpha \equiv (\alpha_{\mathrm{rec}} - \alpha_{\mathrm{now}})/\alpha_{\mathrm{now}}$, are obtained from…
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…
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…
We briefly review the recent experimental results on possible variations of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ on the cosmological time scale and its position dependence. We outline the theoretical grounds for the assumption that $\alpha$…
Astrophysical tests of the stability of dimensionless fundamental couplings, such as the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ and the proton-to-electron mass ratio $\mu$, are an optimal probe of new physics. There is a growing interest in these…
Webb et al. presented preliminary evidence for a time-varying fine-structure constant. We show Teller's formula for this variation to be ruled out within the Einstein-de Sitter universe, however, it is compatible with cosmologies which…
The Delta-variance analysis, has proven to be an efficient and accurate method of characterising the power spectrum of interstellar turbulence. The implementation presently in use, however, has several shortcomings. We propose and test an…
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…
We explore the possibility that the reported time variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ is due to a coupling between electromagnetism and gravitation. This may reconcile the claimed results on $\alpha$ with the upper limit from…
We consider a long range scalar force that mainly couples to dark matter and unstable Standard Model states, like the muon, with tiny strength. Probing this type of force would present a challenge to observations. We point out that the…
It has been widely believed that variability of the fine-structure constant alpha would imply detectable violations of the weak equivalence principle. This belief is not justified in general. It is put to rest here in the context of the…
We use recent astrophysical and local tests of the stability of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, to constrain a particular phenomenological but physically motivated class of models in which the dark energy equation of state can…