Looking for a varying alpha in the cosmic microwave background

• Tipo: Artigo em Revista Científica Internacional
• Data: 2000

Autores

avelino, pp (Autor) FCUP; martins, cjap (Autor) Outra; rocha, g (Autor) Outra; viana, p (Autor) FCUP

Revista

Título: Physical Review D: Particles and fields

Vol. 62

Páginas: 1-12

ISSN: 0556-2821

Editora: American Physical Society

Indexação

ISI Web of Knowledge - 83 Citações

Scopus - 3 Citações

Classificação Científica

FOS: Ciências exactas e naturais > Física

Outras Informações

ID Authenticus: 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.

Idioma: Inglês

Tipo (Avaliação Docente): Científica

Nº de páginas: 12