A new constraint on cosmological variability of the proton-to-electron mass ratio
Jun, 20013 pages
Published in:
- Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 333 (2002) 373
e-Print:
- astro-ph/0106194 [astro-ph]
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Abstract: (arXiv)
Exotic cosmologies predict variability of the fundamental physical constants over the cosmic time. Using the VLT/UVES high resolution spectra of the quasar Q0347-3819 and unblended electronic - vibrational - rotational lines of the H2 molecule identified at z = 3.025 we test possible changes in the proton - to - electron mass ratio mu_0 = m_p/m_e over the period of 11 Gyr. We obtained a new constraint on the time - averaged variation rate of mu_0 of |d mu /d t /mu_0| < 5 10^{-15} yr^{-1} (1 sigma c.l.). The estimated 1 sigma uncertainty interval of the |Delta mu/mu_0| ratio of about 0.004% implies that since the time when the H2 spectrum was formed at z = 3.025, mu_0 has not changed by more than a few thousands of a percent.- cosmological model
- higher-dimensional
- spectrum: quasar
- hydrogen: molecule
- mass ratio: (p electron)
- upper limit
- fundamental constant: time dependence
- numerical calculations: interpretation of experiments
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