Probing the variability of the fine- structure constant with the VLT UVES - INSPIRE

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Probing the variability of the fine- structure constant with the VLT UVES

Ralf Quast
(
- Hamburg Observ.
)
,
Dieter Reimers
(
- Hamburg Observ.
)
,
Sergei A. Levshakov
(
- Ioffe Phys. Tech. Inst.
)

Nov, 2003

5 pages

Published in:

Astron.Astrophys. 415 (2004) L7-L11

e-Print:

astro-ph/0311280 [astro-ph]

DOI:

10.1051/0004-6361:20040013

View in:

ADS Abstract Service

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Abstract: (arXiv)

We assess the cosmological variability of the fine-structure constant from the analysis of an ensemble of Fe II absorption lines at the redshift z=1.15 toward the QSO HE 0515-4414 by means of the standard many-multiplet (MM) technique and its revision based on linear regression (RMM). This is the first time the MM technique is applied to exceptional high-resolution and high signal-to-noise QSO spectra recorded with the UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). Our analysis results in the most stringent bounds hitherto infered from QSO absorption lines. Our results support the null hypothesis of a non-varying fine-structure constant at a significance level of 91 percent, whereas the support for the results presented in former MM studies indicating a variation in the fine-structure constant is 12 percent.

cosmology: observations
quasars: absorption lines
stars: atmospheres
stars: chemically peculiar
stars: individual: Equ
stars: magnetic fields
stars: oscillations

References(9)

Figures(0)

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Sergei Levshakov
(
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)

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Sergei A. Levshakov
(
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)

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•
e-Print:
- astro-ph/0309817

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Michael T. Murphy
(
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- New South Wales U. and
- Lick Observ. and
- San Diego, CASS and
- UC, San Diego
)
,
V.V. Flambaum
(
- Cambridge U., Inst. of Astron. and
- New South Wales U. and
- Lick Observ. and
- San Diego, CASS and
- UC, San Diego
)
,
J.K. Webb
(
- Cambridge U., Inst. of Astron. and
- New South Wales U. and
- Lick Observ. and
- San Diego, CASS and
- UC, San Diego
)
,
V.V. Dzuba
(
- Cambridge U., Inst. of Astron. and
- New South Wales U. and
- Lick Observ. and
- San Diego, CASS and
- UC, San Diego
)
,
J.X. Prochaska
(
- Cambridge U., Inst. of Astron. and
- New South Wales U. and
- Lick Observ. and
- San Diego, CASS and
- UC, San Diego
)

et al.

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•
e-Print:
- astro-ph/0310318

Further evidence for a variable fine-structure constant from Keck/HIRES QSO absorption spectra

Michael T. Murphy
(
- Cambridge U., Inst. of Astron. and
- New South Wales U.
)
,
J.K. Webb
(
- New South Wales U.
)
,
V.V. Flambaum
(
- New South Wales U.
)

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•
e-Print:
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•
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(
- New South Wales U.
)
,
J.K. Webb
(
- New South Wales U.
)
,
V.V. Flambaum
(
- New South Wales U.
)
,
J.X. Prochaska
(
- Carnegie Inst. Observ.
)
,
A.M. Wolfe
(
- UC, San Diego and
- San Diego, CASS
)

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•
e-Print:
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•
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A Re-examination of the Re-187 bound on the variation of fundamental couplings

Keith A. Olive
(
- Minnesota U., Theor. Phys. Inst. and
- Minnesota U.
)
,
Maxim Pospelov
(
- Victoria U.
)
,
Yong-Zhong Qian
(
- Minnesota U.
)
,
Gerard Manhes
(
- IPGP, Paris
)
,
Elisabeth Vangioni-Flam
(
- Paris, Inst. Astrophys.
)

et al.

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•
e-Print:
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•
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Fine-structure diagnostics of neutral carbon toward he 0515-4414

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•
e-Print:
- astro-ph/0203086
•
DOI:
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Detection of molecular hydrogen at z=1.15 toward he 0515-4414

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•
e-Print:
- astro-ph/0308432
•
DOI:
- 10.1051/0004-6361:20031313