Issue |
A&A
Volume 478, Number 3, February II 2008
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 675 - 684 | |
Section | Cosmology (including clusters of galaxies) | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20078605 | |
Published online | 12 December 2007 |
Time variation of the fine structure constant in the early universe and the Bekenstein model
1
Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque, cp 1900 La Plata, Argentina e-mail: [mmosquera;cscoccola;vucetich]@fcaglp.unlp.edu.ar
2
Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata
3
Departamento de Física, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria – Pab. 1, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina e-mail: slandau@df.uba.ar
Received:
3
September
2007
Accepted:
4
November
2007
Aims.We calculate the bounds on the variation in the fine structure constant at the time of primordial nucleosynthesis and at the time of neutral hydrogen formation. We used these bounds and other bounds from the late universe to test the Bekenstein model.
Methods.We modified the Kawano code, CAMB, and CosmoMC to include the possible variation in the fine structure constant. We used observational primordial abundances of D, 4He, and 7Li, recent data from the cosmic microwave background, and the 2dFGRS power spectrum, to obtain bounds on the variation in α. We calculated a piecewise solution to the scalar field equation of the Bekenstein model in two different regimes: i) matter and radiation, ii) matter and cosmological constant. We match both solutions with the appropriate boundary conditions. We performed a statistical analysis, using the bounds obtained from the early universe and other bounds from the late universe to constrain the free parameters of the model.
Results.Results are consistent with no variation in α for the early universe. Limits on α are inconsistent with the scale length of the theory l being larger than the Planck scale.
Conclusions.In order to fit all observational and experimental data, the assumption l > Lp implied in Bekenstein's model has to be relaxed.
Key words: early Universe / cosmology: theory / cosmic microwave background
© ESO, 2008
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.