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Wilczynska MR, Webb JK, Bainbridge M, Barrow JD, Bosman SEI, Carswell RF, Dąbrowski MP, Dumont V, Lee CC, Leite AC, Leszczyńska K, Liske J, Marosek K, Martins CJAP, Milaković D, Molaro P, Pasquini L. Four direct measurements of the fine-structure constant 13 billion years ago. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/17/eaay9672. [PMID: 32917582 PMCID: PMC7182409 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay9672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Observations of the redshift z = 7.085 quasar J1120+0641 are used to search for variations of the fine structure constant, α, over the redshift range 5.5 to 7.1. Observations at z = 7.1 probe the physics of the universe at only 0.8 billion years old. These are the most distant direct measurements of α to date and the first measurements using a near-IR spectrograph. A new AI analysis method is employed. Four measurements from the x-shooter spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) constrain changes in a relative to the terrestrial value (α0). The weighted mean electromagnetic force in this location in the universe deviates from the terrestrial value by Δα/α = (α z - α0)/α0 = (-2.18 ± 7.27) × 10-5, consistent with no temporal change. Combining these measurements with existing data, we find a spatial variation is preferred over a no-variation model at the 3.9σ level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John K Webb
- University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Matthew Bainbridge
- College of Science and Engineering, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE17RH, UK
| | - John D Barrow
- DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK
| | - Sarah E I Bosman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Mariusz P Dąbrowski
- Institute of Physics, University of Szczecin, Wielkopolska 15, 70-451 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Vincent Dumont
- Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Chung-Chi Lee
- DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK
| | - Ana Catarina Leite
- Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, CAUP, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal
- Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4150-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Katarzyna Leszczyńska
- Institute of Physics, University of Szczecin, Wielkopolska 15, 70-451 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Jochen Liske
- Hamburger Sternwarte, Universität Hamburg, Gojenbergsweg 112, D-21029 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Konrad Marosek
- Maritime University, Wały Chrobrego 1-2, 70-500 Szczecin, Poland
| | - Carlos J A P Martins
- Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, CAUP, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto, Portugal
| | - Dinko Milaković
- European Southern Observatory, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Paolo Molaro
- National Institute for Astrophysics, Astronomical Observatory of Trieste, Via G.B. Tiepolo 11, I34134, Italy
| | - Luca Pasquini
- European Southern Observatory, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
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