Any variation in the fundamental physical constants, more particularly in the fine structure constant, α, or in the mass of the electron, m<inf>e</inf>, affects the recombination history of the Universe and cause an imprint on the cosmic microwave background angular power spectra. We show that the Planck data allow one to improve the constraint on the time variation of the fine structure constant at redshift z ∼ 10<sup>3</sup> by about a factor of 5 compared to WMAP data, as well as to break the degeneracy with the Hubble constant, H<inf>0</inf>. In addition to α, we can set a constraint on the variation in the mass of the electron, m<inf>e</inf>, and in the simultaneous variation of the two constants. We examine in detail the degeneracies between fundamental constants and the cosmological parameters, in order to compare the limits obtained from Planck and WMAP and to determine the constraining power gained by including other cosmological probes. We conclude that independent time variations of the fine structure constant and of the mass of the electron are constrained by Planck to Δα/α = (3.6 ± 3.7) × 10<sup>-3</sup> and Δm<inf>e</inf>/m<inf>e</inf> = (4 ± 11) × 10<sup>-3</sup> at the 68% confidence level. We also investigate the possibility of a spatial variation of the fine structure constant. The relative amplitude of a dipolar spatial variation in α (corresponding to a gradient across our Hubble volume) is constrained to be δα/α = (-2.4 ± 3.7) × 10<sup>-2</sup>.

Planck intermediate results : XXIV. Constraints on variations in fundamental constants / P.A.R. Ade, N. Aghanim, M. Arnaud, M. Ashdown, J. Aumont, C. Baccigalupi, A.J. Banday, R.B. Barreiro, E. Battaner, K. Benabed, A. Benoit-Lévy, J.-P. Bernard, M. Bersanelli, P. Bielewicz, J.R. Bond, J. Borrill, F.R. Bouchet, C. Burigana, R.C. Butler, E. Calabrese, A. Chamballu, H.C. Chiang, P.R. Christensen, D.L. Clements, L.P.L. Colombo, F. Couchot, A. Curto, F. Cuttaia, L. Danese, R.D. Davies, R.J. Davis, P. De Bernardis, A. De Rosa, G. De Zotti, J. Delabrouille, J.M. Diego, H. Dole, O. Doré, X. Dupac, T.A. Enßlin, H.K. Eriksen, O. Fabre, F. Finelli, O. Forni, M. Frailis, E. Franceschi, S. Galeotta, S. Galli, K. Ganga, M. Giard, J. González-Nuevo, K.M. Górski, A. Gregorio, A. Gruppuso, F.K. Hansen, D. Hanson, D.L. Harrison, S. Henrot-Versillé, C. Hernández-Monteagudo, D. Herranz, S.R. Hildebrandt, E. Hivon, M. Hobson, W.A. Holmes, A. Hornstrup, W. Hovest, K.M. Huffenberger, A.H. Jaffe, W.C. Jones, E. Keihänen, R. Keskitalo, R. Kneissl, J. Knoche, M. Kunz, H. Kurki-Suonio, J. Lamarre, A. Lasenby, C.R. Lawrence, R. Leonardi, J. Lesgourgues, M. Liguori, P.B. Lilje, M. Linden-Vørnle, M. López-Caniego, P.M. Lubin, J.F. Macías-Pérez, N. Mandolesi, M. Maris, P.G. Martin, E. Martínez-González, S. Masi, S. Matarrese, P. Mazzotta, P.R. Meinhold, A. Melchiorri, L. Mendes, E. Menegoni, A. Mennella, M. Migliaccio, M. Miville-Deschênes, A. Moneti, L. Montier, G. Morgante, A. Moss, D. Munshi, J.A. Murphy, P. Naselsky, F. Nati, P. Natoli, H.U. Nørgaard-Nielsen, F. Noviello, D. Novikov, I. Novikov, C.A. Oxborrow, L. Pagano, F. Pajot, D. Paoletti, F. Pasian, G. Patanchon, O. Perdereau, L. Perotto, F. Perrotta, F. Piacentini, M. Piat, E. Pierpaoli, D. Pietrobon, S. Plaszczynski, E. Pointecouteau, G. Polenta, N. Ponthieu, L. Popa, G.W. Pratt, S. Prunet, J.P. Rachen, R. Rebolo, M. Reinecke, M. Remazeilles, C. Renault, S. Ricciardi, I. Ristorcelli, G. Rocha, G. Roudier, B. Rusholme, M. Sandri, G. Savini, D. Scott, L.D. Spencer, V. Stolyarov, R. Sudiwala, D. Sutton, A. Suur-Uski, J.-F. Sygnet, J.A. Tauber, D. Tavagnacco, L. Terenzi, L. Toffolatti, M. Tomasi, M. Tristram, M. Tucci, J.-P. Uzan, L. Valenziano, J. Valiviita, B. Van Tent, P. Vielva, F. Villa, L.A. Wade, D. Yvon, A. Zacchei, A. Zonca. - In: ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS. - ISSN 0004-6361. - 580(2015), pp. A22.1-A22.25.

Planck intermediate results : XXIV. Constraints on variations in fundamental constants

M. Bersanelli
Ultimo
;
L.P.L. Colombo;A. Mennella;M. Tomasi
Secondo
;
2015

Abstract

Any variation in the fundamental physical constants, more particularly in the fine structure constant, α, or in the mass of the electron, me, affects the recombination history of the Universe and cause an imprint on the cosmic microwave background angular power spectra. We show that the Planck data allow one to improve the constraint on the time variation of the fine structure constant at redshift z ∼ 103 by about a factor of 5 compared to WMAP data, as well as to break the degeneracy with the Hubble constant, H0. In addition to α, we can set a constraint on the variation in the mass of the electron, me, and in the simultaneous variation of the two constants. We examine in detail the degeneracies between fundamental constants and the cosmological parameters, in order to compare the limits obtained from Planck and WMAP and to determine the constraining power gained by including other cosmological probes. We conclude that independent time variations of the fine structure constant and of the mass of the electron are constrained by Planck to Δα/α = (3.6 ± 3.7) × 10-3 and Δme/me = (4 ± 11) × 10-3 at the 68% confidence level. We also investigate the possibility of a spatial variation of the fine structure constant. The relative amplitude of a dipolar spatial variation in α (corresponding to a gradient across our Hubble volume) is constrained to be δα/α = (-2.4 ± 3.7) × 10-2.
atomic data; cosmic background radiation; cosmological parameters; cosmology: observations; astronomy and astrophysics; space and planetary science
Settore FIS/05 - Astronomia e Astrofisica
2015
Article (author)
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
24. Planck intermediate results. Constraints on variations in fundamental constants.pdf

accesso riservato

Tipologia: Publisher's version/PDF
Dimensione 2.18 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
2.18 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/387718
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 67
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 78
social impact