Spatial variations of fundamental constants

1999/04/09 by John D. Barrow, J. D. Barrow, C. O'Toole +1 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #astro-ph #gr-qc #hep-th

paper · pdf · doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04157.x

published as Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 322 (2001) 585 · 4 pages

arxiv created 1999/04/09 · openalex publication_date 2001/04/11 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We show how observational limits on possible time variations of fundamental constants of nature are influenced by spatial variations in the density and gravitational potential. Bekenstein's generalization of Maxwell's equations, incorporating variations of the fine structure ‘constant’, is used as a simple example. These features are expected to be present in a wide class of theories with varying ‘constants’ and will affect attempts to coordinate cosmological and geophysical bounds on allowed time variations.

Citations

• Mach's Principle and a Relativistic Theory of Gravitation
• A time varying speed of light as a solution to cosmological puzzles

Cited by

• Varying alpha and the electroweak model
• Varying alpha in a more realistic universe
• The fundamental constants and their variation: observational and theoretical status