Related papers: Fine Structure Constant Variation from a Late Phas…
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…
The gravitational field produced by a domain wall acts as a medium with spacetime-dependent permittivity \epsilon. Therefore, the fine structure constant \alpha = e^2/4 \pi \epsilon will be a time-dependent function at fixed position. The…
We study the space-time evolution of the fine structure constant, $\alpha$, inside evolving spherical overdensities in a lambda-CDM Friedmann universe using the spherical infall model. We show that its value inside virialised regions will…
We discuss present and future cosmological constraints on variations of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ induced by an early dark energy component having the simplest allowed (linear) coupling to electromagnetism. We find that current…
I briefly present some current theoretical motivations for time or space variations of the fundamental constants of nature and review current key observational results. I focus on the fine-structure constant, and particularly on…
We show that the Supernovae results, implying evidence for an accelerating Universe, may be closely related to the recent discovery of redshift dependence in the fine structure constant $\alpha$. The link is a class of varying speed of…
In this note we observe that Webb and co-workers' observation of an evolving fine structure constant has since been reconfirmed. We also confirm Kuhne's contention that this implies a cosmological constant and exhibit a cosmological…
We calculate the dependence of atomic transition frequencies on the fine structure constant, $\alpha = e^2/\hbar c$, for some ions of Ti, Mn, Na, C, and O. The results of these calculations will be used in the search for variation of alpha…
Dependence of transition frequencies on the fine structure constant $\alpha=e^2/\hbar c$ is calculated for several many-electron systems which are used or planned to be used in the laboratory search for the time variation of the fine…
A possibility for fundamental constants to vary in time is suggested by theories unifying gravity with other interactions. In this article we examine proposals to use optical transitions of Sr, Dy, YbII and YbIII for the search of the time…
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 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…
At present several groups are analyzing astrophysical data in a search for time-variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$. Here we discuss how to exclude systematic effects caused by the changes in the isotope abundances during 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…
Starting from astrophysical indications that the fine structure constant might undergo a small cosmological time shift, we discuss the implications of such an effect from the point of view of particle physics. Grand unification implies…
We study constraints on time variation of the fine structure constant alpha from cosmic microwave background (CMB) taking into account simultaneous change in alpha and the electron mass m_e which might be implied in unification theories. We…
Sensitivity of atomic transition frequencies to variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha=e^2/\hbar c$ increases proportional to $Z^2$ where $Z$ is the nuclear charge. Recently several lines of heavy ions Ge II, Sn II and Pb II have…
The comparison of different atomic transition frequencies over time can be used to determine the present value of the temporal derivative of the fine structure constant alpha in a model-independent way without assumptions on constancy or…
From astrophysics there are indications that the finestructure constant $\alpha $ has changed during the past 10 billion years. Within grand unification one can deduce that also the QCD scale has changed. Tests for a time variation of this…
Astrophysical indications that the fine structure constant has undergone a small time variation during the cosmological evolution are discussed within the framework of the standard model of the electroweak and strong interactions and of…