Issue |
A&A
Volume 397, Number 3, January III 2003
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 803 - 807 | |
Section | Cosmology (including clusters of galaxies) | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20021521 | |
Published online | 21 January 2003 |
A five dimensional model of varying effective gravitational and fine structure constants
Service d'Astrophysique, C.E. Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
Corresponding author: J. P. Mbelek, mbelek@discovery.saclay.cea.fr
Received:
23
May
2002
Accepted:
7
October
2002
We explore the possibility that the reported time variation of the fine structure constant α is due to a coupling between electromagnetism and gravitation. We predict such a coupling from a very simple effective theory of physical interactions, under the form of an improved version of the Kaluza-Klein theory. We show that it precisely leads to a variation of the effective fine structure constant with cosmic conditions, and thus with cosmic time. The comparison with the recent data from distant quasars absorption line spectra gives a good agreement; moreover, this may reconcile the claimed results on α with the upper limit from the Oklo naturel Uranium fission reactor.
Key words: galaxies: quasars: absorption lines / cosmology: theory
© ESO, 2003
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