Looking for a varying alpha in the cosmic microwave background

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2000

Authors

avelino, pp (Author) FCUP; martins, cjap (Author) Other; rocha, g (Author) Other; viana, p (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Physical Review D: Particles and fields

Vol. 62

Pages: 1-12

ISSN: 0556-2821

Publisher: American Physical Society

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 83 Citations

Scopus - 3 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Natural sciences > Physical sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-000-Y6E

DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.62.123508

Abstract (EN): 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 these data prefer a value of alpha that was smaller in the past (which is in agreement with measurements of alpha from quasar observations). However, then are some interesting degeneracies in the problem which imply that strong statements about alpha cannot be made using this method until independent accurate determinations of Omega (b)h(2) and H-o are available. We also show that a preferred lower value of alpha comes mainly from the data points around the first Doppler peak, whereas the main effect of the high-l data points is to increase the preferred value for Omega (b)h(2) (while also tightening the constraints on Omega (o) and H-o). We comment on some implications of our results.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 12