Related papers: Time-Varying alpha and Particle Physics
We argue that the discrepancy between the Planck mass scale and the observed value of the cosmological constant can be largely attenuated if those quantities are understood as a result of effective, and thus scale-dependent, couplings. We…
Higher-dimensional theories imply that some constants, such as the gravitational constant and the strength of the gauge-couplings, are not fundamental constants. Instead they are related to the sizes of the extra--dimensional space, which…
There are obvious discrepancies among various experimental constraints on the variation of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$. We attempt to discuss the issue in the framework of de Sitter invariant Special Relativity (${\cal SR}_{c,R}$)…
I argue that the laws of physics should be independent of one's choice of units or measuring apparatus. This is the case if they are framed in terms of dimensionless numbers such as the fine structure constant, alpha. For example, the…
We present a review of recent works devoted to the variation of the fine structure constant alpha, strong interaction and fundamental masses. There are some hints for the variation in quasar absorption spectra, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, and…
We consider the signatures of a domain wall produced in the spontaneous symmetry breaking involving a dilaton-like scalar field coupled to electromagnetism. Domains on either side of the wall exhibit slight differences in their respective…
A range of cosmological observations demonstrate an accelerated expansion of the Universe, and the most likely explanation of this phenomenon is a cosmological constant. Given the importance of understanding the underlying physics, it is…
Conserved quantities are obtained and analyzed in the new models with global scale invariance recently proposed. Such models allow for non tivial scalar field potentials and masses for particles, so that the scale symmetry must be broken…
Detection of high-redshift absorption in the optical spectra of quasars have provided a powerful tool to measure spatial and temporal variations of physical ``constants'' in the Universe. It is demonstrated that high sensitivity to the…
A cosmology inspired structure for phase space is introduced, which leads to finitization and lattice-like discretization of position and momentum eigenvalues in a preferred, cosmic frame. Lorentz invariance is broken at very high energies,…
In this paper we study gravitational wave perturbations in a cosmological setting of bigravity which can reproduce the {\Lambda}CDM background and large scale structure. We show that in general gravitational wave perturbations are unstable…
The standard interpretation of the observed redshifted spectra and luminosities towards distant astrophysical objects is that the universe is expanding, an inference which is found to be consistent with other cosmological probes as well.…
The possibility that the universe may have a fundamental and positive cosmological constant has motivated an interesting cosmological model, in which initially the universe is in a cosmological constant sea, then the local quantum…
Electromagnetic and gravitational central-field problems are studied with relativistic quantum mechanics on curved space-time backgrounds. Corrections to the transition current are identified. Analogies of the gravitational and…
We consider astronomical and local bounds on time variation of fundamental constants to test some generic Kaluza-Klein-like models and some particular cases of Beckenstein theory. Bounds on the free parameters of the different theories are…
Based on a thoeretical model in which scalar fields play crucial roles, we propose a mechanism to better understand a cosmological constant expected to be small (nearly comparable with the critical density) but nonzero as suggested strongly…
Instabilities of equilibrium quantum mechanics are common and well-understood. They are manifested for example in phase transitions, where a quantum system becomes so sensitive to perturbations that a symmetry can be spontaneously broken.…
We reexamine the cosmological constant problem in a finite temperature setup and propose an intriguing possibility of carrying out perturbative analysis by employing a renormalization scheme in which the renormalized Higgs mass (or resummed…
This article describes the various experimental bounds on the variation of the fundamental constants of nature. After a discussion on the role of fundamental constants, of their definition and link with metrology, the various constraints on…
We consider scalar perturbations of energy-density for a class of cosmological models where an early phase of accelerated expansion evolves, without any fine-tuning for graceful exit, towards the standard Friedman eras of observed universe.…