Abstract
In Kaluza-Klein theories with extra space dimensions, dependence of the fine-structure constant, α ≡ e 2/ħc ≃ 1/137, on the volume of the compact space allows one to use fine-structure doublets observed in QSO spectra to probe the cosmological evolution of compact dimensions over time intervals compared with the age of the Universe.
We show, however, that the unresolved velocity structure of absorbing material may affect strongly the shape of the probability density function of the α z /α ratio (α z is a value of α at redshift z). This in turn leads to a biased sample mean (α z /α ) and a false accuracy.
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References
Levshakov, S. A. 1994a, Astron. Zh., 71, 181.
Levshakov, S. A. 1994b, MNRAS, 269, 339.
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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Levshakov, S.A., D’Odorico, S. (1995). Fine-Structure Doublets in QSO Spectra and Variability of the Fine-Structure Constant α . In: Meylan, G. (eds) QSO Absorption Lines. ESO Astrophysics Symposia. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49458-4_41
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49458-4_41
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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