First measurement of Mg isotope abundances at high redshifts and accurate estimate of Delta alpha/alpha

Abstract

(Abridged) We use a high-resolution spectrum of the quasar HE0001-2340 observed with the UVES/VLT to measure Mg isotope abundances in the intervening absorption-line systems at high redshifts. Line profiles are prepared accounting for possible shifts between the individual exposures. Due to unique composition of the selected systems - the presence of several transitions of the same ion - we can test the local accuracy of the wavelength scale calibration which is the main source of errors in the sub-pixel line position measurements. In the system at zabs = 0.45 which is probably a fragment of the outflow caused by SN Ia explosion of high-metallicity white dwarf(s) we measured velocity shifts of MgII and MgI lines relative to other lines (FeI, FeII, CaI, CaII): Delta V(MgII) = -0.44 +/- 0.05 km/s and Delta V(MgI) = -0.17 +/- 0.17$ km/s. This translates into the isotopic ratio 24Mg:25Mg:26Mg = (19 +/- 11):(22 +/- 13):(59 +/- 6) with a strong relative overabundance of heavy Mg isotopes, (25Mg+26Mg)/24Mg = 4, as compared to the solar ratio 24Mg:25Mg:26Mg = 79:10:11, and (25Mg+26Mg)/24Mg = 0.3. At zabs = 1.58, we put a strong constraint on a putative variation of alpha: Delta alpha/alpha = (-1.5 +/- 2.6)x10^{-6} which is one of the most stringent limits obtained from optical spectra of QSOs. We reveal that the wavelength calibration in the range above 7500 A is subject to systematic wavelength-dependent drifts.

20 pages, 13 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

References in corpus (7)

• Revision of VLT/UVES constraints on a varying fine-structure constant
• Abundance stratification in Type Ia Supernovae - II: The rapidly declining, spectroscopically normal SN 2004eo
• The End of Amnesia: A New Method for Measuring the Metallicity of Type Ia Supernova Progenitors Using Manganese Lines in Supernova Remnants
• UVES radial velocity accuracy from asteroid observations. Implications for the fine structure constant variability
• Relativistic corrections to transition frequencies of Fe I and search for variation of the fine structure constant
• Transition frequency shifts with fine structure constant variation for Fe II: Breit and core-valence correlation correction
• A cold metal-poor cloud traced by a weak MgII absorption at z~0.45. First detection of SiI, CaI and FeI in a QSO absorber

Cited by in corpus (66)

• Teleparallel Gravity: From Theory to Cosmology
• Super and Massive AGB Stars: II - Nucleosynthesis and Yields - Z=0.02, 0.008 and 0.004
• Molecules at z=0.89: A 4-mm-rest-frame absorption line survey toward PKS 1830-211
• The status of varying constants: a review of the physics, searches and implications
• The UVES Large Program for Testing Fundamental Physics: I Bounds on a change in alpha towards quasar HE 2217-2818
• The UVES Large Program for Testing Fundamental Physics II: Constraints on a Change in μ Towards Quasar HE 0027-1836
• A search for varying fundamental constants using Hz-level frequency measurements of cold CH molecules
• The Constancy of the Constants of Nature: Updates
• High-precision limit on variation in the fine-structure constant from a single quasar absorption system
• Observational Constraints on $f(T)$ gravity from varying fundamental constants
• Constraining fundamental constant evolution with HI and OH lines
• Subaru Telescope limits on cosmological variations in the fine-structure constant
• Fundamental physics with ESPRESSO: Precise limit on variations in the fine-structure constant towards the bright quasar HE 0515$-$4414
• Molecular hydrogen in the z = 2.66 damped Lyman-alpha absorber toward Q J0643-5041
• Running vacuum in the Universe and the time variation of the fundamental constants of Nature
• Constraining the variation of fundamental constants at z ~ 1.3 using 21-cm absorbers
• Constraining the Variation of the Fine Structure Constant with Observations of Narrow Quasar Absorption Lines
• Microwave and submillimeter molecular transitions and their dependence on fundamental constants
• An upper limit to the variation in the fundamental constants at redshift z = 5.2
• Evolution of the fine-structure constant in runaway dilaton models
• Rapid-response mode VLT/UVES spectroscopy of super iron-rich gas exposed to GRB 080310. Evidence of ionization in action and episodic star formation in the host
• Precise limits on cosmological variability of the fine-structure constant with zinc and chromium quasar absorption lines
• Cosmology Intertwined: A Review of the Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Associated with the Cosmological Tensions and Anomalies
• Stability of fundamental couplings: a global analysis
• Testing the violation of the equivalence principle in the electromagnetic sector and its consequences in $f(T)$ gravity
• Rotational spectrum of molecular ion NH^+ as a probe for alpha- and m_e/m_p-variation
• Variations in the Fundamental constants in the QSO Host J1148+5251 at z = 6.4 and the BR1202-0725 System at z = 4.7
• Consistency tests of the stability of fundamental couplings and unification scenarios
• The variation of the fine-structure constant from disformal couplings
• Limits on the spatial variations of the electron-to-proton mass ratio in the Galactic plane
• Updated constraints on spatial variations of the fine-structure constant
• Variation in the fine-structure constant, distance-duality relation and the next generation of high-resolution spectrograph
• Fine-structure constant constraints on dark energy
• The Cosmic Evolution of Magnesium Isotopes
• Effect of alpha variation on a prospective experiment to detect variation of m_e/m_p in diatomic molecules
• Fine-structure constant constraints on dark energy: II. Extending the parameter space
• Searching for New Physics Through AMO Precision Measurements
• Probing the constancy of the speed of light with future galaxy survey: the case of SKA and Euclid
• Constraining the Variation in Fine-Structure Constant Using SDSS DR8 QSO Spectra
• Dark energy and Equivalence Principle constraints from astrophysical tests of the stability of the fine-structure constant
• Testing the weak equivalence principle by differential measurements of fundamental constants in the Magellanic Clouds
• Recovering a redshift-extended VSL signal from galaxy surveys
• Nucleosynthetic yields of Z=$10^{-5}$ intermediate-mass stars
• Current and future constraints on extended Bekenstein-type models for a varying fine-structure constant
• GRBs and fundamental physics
• Current and future constraints on Bekenstein-type models for varying couplings
• Varying constants entropic--$\Lambda$CDM cosmology
• Further consistency tests of the stability of fundamental couplings
• Fine-structure constant constraints on Bekenstein-type models
• The clustering of galaxies in the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: constraints on the time variation of fundamental constants from the large-scale two-point correlation function
• Variations of the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ in exotic singularity models
• Fundamental Physics with ESPRESSO, Constraining a simple parametrisation for varying $\alpha$
• Fine-structure transitions as a tool for studying variation of alpha at high redshifts
• Modelling spatial variations of the speed of light
• [CI], [CII] and CO emission lines as a probe for alpha variations at low and high redshifts
• On the star-forming ability of Molecular Clouds
• Cosmological and astrophysical constraints on tachyon dark energy models
• Stability of filaments in star-forming clouds and the formation of prestellar cores in them
• Fundamental physics with ESPRESSO: Constraints on Bekenstein and dark energy models from astrophysical and local probes
• Coupling quintessence kinetics to electromagnetism
• Spatial and temporal variations of the fine-structure constant in the Finslerian universe
• Fluctuations of the intergalactic ionization field at redshift z ~ 2
• The precision of line position measurements of unresolved quasar absorption lines and its influence on the search for variations of fundamental constants
• Why do some cores remain starless ?
• Fundamental physical constants at low and high redshifts
• On Generalized Theories of Varying Fine Structure Constant