Stability of fundamental couplings: a global analysis

Abstract

Astrophysical tests of the stability of fundamental couplings are becoming an increasingly important probe of new physics. Motivated by the recent availability of new and stronger constraints we update previous works testing the consistency of measurements of the fine-structure constant $\alpha$ and the proton-to-electron mass ratio $\mu =m_p/m_e$ (mostly obtained in the optical/ultraviolet) with combined measurements of $\alpha$, $\mu$ and the proton gyromagnetic ratio $g_p$ (mostly in the radio band). We carry out a global analysis of all available data, including the 293 archival measurements of {\it Webb et al.} and 66 more recent dedicated measurements, and constraining both time and spatial variations. While nominally the full datasets show a slight statistical preference for variations of $\alpha$ and $\mu$ (at up to two standard deviations), we also find several inconsistencies between different sub-sets, likely due to hidden systematics and implying that these statistical preferences need to be taken with caution. The statistical evidence for a spatial dipole in the values of $\alpha$ is found at the 2.3 sigma level. Forthcoming studies with facilities such as ALMA and ESPRESSO should clarify these issues.

arXiv comment13 pages, 10 figures

References in corpus (55)

• Varying constants, Gravitation and Cosmology
• Indications of a spatial variation of the fine structure constant
• Spatial variation in the fine-structure constant -- new results from VLT/UVES
• Coupled Variations of Fundamental Couplings and Primordial Nucleosynthesis
• Molecules at z=0.89: A 4-mm-rest-frame absorption line survey toward PKS 1830-211
• Strong Limit on a Variable Proton-to-Electron Mass Ratio from Molecules in the Distant Universe
• Nucleosynthesis and the Time Dependence of Fundamental Couplings
• Stringent null constraint on cosmological evolution of the proton-to-electron mass ratio
• Is there Correlation between Fine Structure and Dark Energy Cosmic Dipoles?
• The UVES Large Program for Testing Fundamental Physics: I Bounds on a change in alpha towards quasar HE 2217-2818
• Improved constraints on possible variation of physical constants from H I 21cm and molecular QSO absorption lines
• The UVES Large Program for Testing Fundamental Physics II: Constraints on a Change in μ Towards Quasar HE 0027-1836
• Keck telescope constraint on cosmological variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio
• Constraining changes in the proton-electron mass ratio with inversion and rotational lines
• Impact of instrumental systematic errors on fine-structure constant measurements with quasar spectra
• Robust Constraint on a Drifting Proton-to-Electron Mass Ratio at z=0.89 from Methanol Observation at Three Radio Telescopes
• The density, the cosmic microwave background, and the proton-to-electron mass ratio in a cloud at redshift 0.9
• First measurement of Mg isotope abundances at high redshifts and accurate estimate of Delta alpha/alpha
• High-precision limit on variation in the fine-structure constant from a single quasar absorption system
• The UVES Large Program for testing fundamental physics - III. Constraints on the fine-structure constant from 3 telescopes
• First constraint on cosmological variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio from two independent telescopes
• New constraint on cosmological variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio from Q0528-250
• Constraining fundamental constant evolution with HI and OH lines
• Molecular hydrogen in the z = 2.66 damped Lyman-alpha absorber toward Q J0643-5041
• Toward a Direct Measurement of the Cosmic Acceleration
• Is there further evidence for spatial variation of fundamental constants?
• Detection of 21-cm, H2 and Deuterium absorption at z>3 along the line-of-sight to J1337+3152
• A Laboratory for Constraining Cosmic Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant: Conjugate 18 cm OH Lines Toward PKS 1413+135 at z=0.2467
• 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
• Precise limits on cosmological variability of the fine-structure constant with zinc and chromium quasar absorption lines
• A constraint on a varying proton--electron mass ratio 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang
• Variability of the proton-to-electron mass ratio on cosmological scales
• On the Variations of Fundamental Constants and AGN feedback in the QSO host galaxy RXJ0911.4+0551 at z=2.79
• Gyromagnetic Factors and Atomic Clock Constraints on the Variation of Fundamental Constants
• Constraining the time variation of the coupling constants from cosmic microwave background: effect of Λ_{QCD}
• Fundamental cosmology in the E-ELT era: The status and future role of tests of fundamental coupling stability
• Variations in the Fundamental constants in the QSO Host J1148+5251 at z = 6.4 and the BR1202-0725 System at z = 4.7
• Probing fundamental constant evolution with redshifted conjugate-satellite OH lines
• Constraint on a varying proton-to-electron mass ratio from molecular hydrogen absorption toward quasar SDSS J123714.60+064759.5
• Consistency tests of the stability of fundamental couplings and unification scenarios
• Constraint on the time variation of the fine-structure constant with the SDSS-III/BOSS DR12 quasar sample
• Constraining spatial variations of the fine structure constant using clusters of galaxies and Planck data
• Probing unification scenarios with atomic clocks
• Updated constraints on spatial variations of the fine-structure constant
• Constraint on a variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio from H2 absorption towards quasar Q2348-011
• Measuring space-time variation of the fundamental constants with redshifted submillimetre transitions of neutral carbon
• Dark energy and Equivalence Principle constraints from astrophysical tests of the stability of the fine-structure constant
• Fundamental Cosmology from Precision Spectroscopy: I. Varying Couplings
• Further consistency tests of the stability of fundamental couplings
• A test of unification towards the radio source PKS1413+135
• Variation of the fine-structure constant: an update of statistical analyses with recent data

Cited by in corpus (13)

• The status of varying constants: a review of the physics, searches and implications
• Fundamental physics with ESPRESSO: Precise limit on variations in the fine-structure constant towards the bright quasar HE 0515$-$4414
• Cosmology Intertwined: A Review of the Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Associated with the Cosmological Tensions and Anomalies
• Probing spatial variation of the fine-structure constant using the CMB
• Varying fine-structure constant cosmography
• Probing variation of the fine-structure constant in runaway dilaton models using Strong Gravitational Lensing and Type Ia Supernovae
• [CI], [CII] and CO emission lines as a probe for alpha variations at low and high redshifts
• JWST observations constrain the time evolution of fine structure constants and dark energy - electromagnetic coupling
• Searching for cosmological variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio using a single $H_2$ system
• Constraining spatial variations of the fine-structure constant in symmetron models
• Late-time Cosmology without Dark Sector but with Closed String Massless Sector
• Gravitational Core of Double Field Theory: Lecture Notes
• On Generalized Theories of Varying Fine Structure Constant