Further Evidence for Cosmological Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant

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dc.creatorWebb, J. K.
dc.creatorMurphy, M. T.
dc.creatorFlambaum, V. V.
dc.creatorDzuba, V. A.
dc.creatorBarrow, J. D.
dc.creatorChurchill, C. W.
dc.creatorProchaska, J. X.
dc.creatorWolfe, A. M.
dc.date2000-12-29
dc.date2001-09-04
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T10:51:17Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T10:51:17Z
dc.descriptionWe describe the results of a search for time variability of the fine structure constant, alpha, using absorption systems in the spectra of distant quasars. Three large optical datasets and two 21cm/mm absorption systems provide four independent samples, spanning 23% to 87% of the age of the universe. Each sample yields a smaller alpha in the past and the optical sample shows a 4-sigma deviation: da/a = -0.72 +/- 0.18 x 10^{-5} over the redshift range 0.5 < z < 3.5. We find no systematic effects which can explain our results. The only potentially significant systematic effects push da/a towards positive values, i.e. our results would become more significant were we to correct for them.
dc.description5 pages, 1 figure. Published in Phys. Rev. Lett. Small changes to discussion, added an acknowledgement and a reference
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0012539
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0012539
dc.identifierPhys.Rev.Lett.87:091301,2001
dc.identifierdoi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.091301
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/184770
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.subjectGeneral Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
dc.subjectHigh Energy Physics - Phenomenology
dc.subjectHigh Energy Physics - Theory
dc.subjectAtomic Physics
dc.titleFurther Evidence for Cosmological Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant
dc.typetext

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