8 research outputs found
New limit on a varying proton-to-electron mass ratio from high resolution optical quasar spectra
Abstract not available
Search for varying constants of nature from astronomical observation of molecules
The status of searches for possible variation in the constants of nature from
astronomical observation of molecules is reviewed, focusing on the
dimensionless constant representing the proton-electron mass ratio
. The optical detection of H and CO molecules with large
ground-based telescopes (as the ESO-VLT and the Keck telescopes), as well as
the detection of H with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph aboard the Hubble
Space Telescope is discussed in the context of varying constants, and in
connection to different theoretical scenarios. Radio astronomy provides an
alternative search strategy bearing the advantage that molecules as NH
(ammonia) and CHOH (methanol) can be used, which are much more sensitive to
a varying than diatomic molecules. Current constraints are
for redshift , corresponding to
look-back times of 10-12.5 Gyrs, and for
, corresponding to half the age of the Universe (both at 3
statistical significance). Existing bottlenecks and prospects for future
improvement with novel instrumentation are discussed.Comment: Contribution to Workshop "High Performance Clocks in Space" at the
International Space Science Institute, Bern 201