21 research outputs found
Galactic periodicity and the oscillating G model
We consider the model involving the oscillation of the effective
gravitational constant that has been put forward in an attempt to reconcile the
observed periodicity in the galaxy number distribution with the standard
cosmological models. This model involves a highly nonlinear dynamics which we
analyze numerically. We carry out a detailed study of the bound that
nucleosynthesis imposes on this model. The analysis shows that for any assumed
value for (the total energy density) one can fix the value of
(the baryonic energy density) in such a way as to
accommodate the observational constraints coming from the
primordial abundance. In particular, if we impose the inflationary value
the resulting baryonic energy density turns out to be . This result lies in the very narrow range allowed by the observed values of the primordial
abundances of the other light elements. The remaining fraction of
corresponds to dark matter represented by a scalar field.Comment: Latex file 29 pages with no figures. Please contact M.Salgado for
figures. A more careful study of the model appears in gr-qc/960603
Charge conservation and time-varying speed of light
It has been recently claimed that cosmologies with time dependent speed of
light might solve some of the problems of the standard cosmological scenario,
as well as inflationary scenarios. In this letter we show that most of these
models, when analyzed in a consistent way, lead to large violations of charge
conservation. Thus, they are severly constrained by experiment, including those
where is a power of the scale factor and those whose source term is the
trace of the energy-momentum tensor. In addition, early Universe scenarios with
a sudden change of related to baryogenesis are discarded.Comment: 4 page
Cosmology, Oscillating Physics and Oscilllating Biology
According to recent reports there is an excess correlation and an apparent
regularity in the galaxy one-dimensional polar distribution with a
characteristic scale of 128 Mpc. This aparent spatial periodicity can
be naturally explained by a time oscillation of the gravitational constant .
On the other hand, periodic growth features of bivalve and coral fossiles
appear to show a periodic component in the time dependence of the number of
days per year. In this letter we show that a time oscillating gravitational
constant with similar period and amplitude can explain such a feature.Comment: 9 pages. latex using revtex. This revised version is supposed to be
free of e-mail nois
Looking for a varying in the Cosmic Microwave Background
We perform a likelihood analysis of the recently released BOOMERanG and
MAXIMA data, allowing for the possibility of a time-varying fine-structure
constant. We find that in general this data prefers a value of that
was smaller in the past (which is in agreement with measurements of
from quasar observations). However, there are some interesting degeneracies in
the problem which imply that strong statements about can not be made
using this method until independent accurate determinations of
and are available.
We also show that a preferred lower value of comes mainly from the
data points around the first Doppler peak, whereas the main effect of the
high- data points is to increase the preferred value for
(while also tightening the constraints on and ). We comment on
some implications of our results.Comment: 15 pages; submitted to Phys. Rev.
Time varying in N=8 extended Supergravity
There has been some evidence that the fine structure "constant" may
vary with time. We point out that this variation can be described by a scalar
field in some supergravity theory in our toy model, for instance, the N=8
extended supergravity in four dimensions which can be accommodated in M-theory.Comment: 5 pages,1 figures. Accepted for publication in JHE
Stochastic approach to inflation II: classicality, coarse-graining and noises
In this work we generalize a previously developed semiclassical approach to
inflation, devoted to the analysis of the effective dynamics of coarse-grained
fields, which are essential to the stochastic approach to inflation. We
consider general non-trivial momentum distributions when defining these fields.
The use of smooth cutoffs in momentum space avoids highly singular quantum
noise correlations and allows us to consider the whole quantum noise sector
when analyzing the conditions for the validity of an effective classical
dynamical description of the coarse-grained field. We show that the weighting
of modes has physical consequences, and thus cannot be considered as a mere
mathematical artifact. In particular we discuss the exponential inflationary
scenario and show that colored noises appear with cutoff dependent amplitudes.Comment: 18 pages, revtex, no figure
Changing alpha With Time: Implications For Fifth-Force-Type Experiments And Quintessence
If the recent observations suggesting a time variation of the fine structure
constant are correct, they imply the existence of an ultra light scalar
particle. This particle inevitably couples to nucleons through the
\alpha-dependence of their masses and thus mediates an isotope-dependent
long-range force. The strength of the coupling is within a couple of orders of
magnitude from the existing experimental bounds for such forces. The new force
can be potentially measured in the precision experimental tests of the
equivalence principle. Due to an interesting coincidence of the required
time-scales, the scalar filed in question can at the same time play the role of
a quintessence field.Comment: 7 pages, Late
Time Variation of the Fine Structure Constant Driven by Quintessence
There are indications from the study of quasar absorption spectra that the
fine structure constant may have been measurably smaller for redshifts
Analyses of other data (Sm fission rate for the Oklo natural
reactor, variation of Re -decay rate in meteorite studies,
atomic clock measurements) which probe variations of in the more
recent past imply much smaller deviations from its present value. In this work
we tie the variation of to the evolution of the quintessence field
proposed by Albrecht and Skordis, and show that agreement with all these data,
as well as consistency with WMAP observations, can be achieved for a range of
parameters. Some definite predictions follow for upcoming space missions
searching for violations of the equivalence principle.Comment: Final version, to be published in Phys Rev
The fundamental constants and their variation: observational status and theoretical motivations
This article describes the various experimental bounds on the variation of
the fundamental constants of nature. After a discussion on the role of
fundamental constants, of their definition and link with metrology, the various
constraints on the variation of the fine structure constant, the gravitational,
weak and strong interactions couplings and the electron to proton mass ratio
are reviewed. This review aims (1) to provide the basics of each measurement,
(2) to show as clearly as possible why it constrains a given constant and (3)
to point out the underlying hypotheses. Such an investigation is of importance
to compare the different results, particularly in view of understanding the
recent claims of the detections of a variation of the fine structure constant
and of the electron to proton mass ratio in quasar absorption spectra. The
theoretical models leading to the prediction of such variation are also
reviewed, including Kaluza-Klein theories, string theories and other
alternative theories and cosmological implications of these results are
discussed. The links with the tests of general relativity are emphasized.Comment: 56 pages, l7 figures, submitted to Rev. Mod. Phy