Abstract
Astrophysical indications that the fine structure constant has undergone a small time variation during the cosmological evolution are discussed within the framework of the standard model of the electroweak and strong interactions and of grand unification. A variation of the electromagnetic coupling constant could either be generated by a corresponding time variation of the unified coupling constant or by a time variation of the unification scale, of by both. The various possibilities, differing substantially in their implications for the variation of low energy physics parameters like the nuclear mass scale, are discussed. The case in which the variation is caused by a time variation of the unification scale is of special interest.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
P. M. Dirac: Nature 192, 235 (1937)
E. A. Milne: Relativity, Gravitation and World Structure. In: Clarendon press, Oxford, (1935), Proc. Roy. Soc. A, 3, 242 (1937)
P. Jordan. Naturwiss., 25, 513 (1937), Z. Physik, 113, 660 (1939)
L. D. Landau. W. Pauli, ed., Niels Bohr and the Development of Physics, McGraw-Hill, NY, p.52, (1955)
M. B. Green, J. H. Schwarz and E. Witten: The String dilaton and a least coupling principle. In: Superstring Theory, Vol. 1 and 2, T. Damour and A. M. Polyakov, Nucl. Phys. B 423, 532 (1994)
J. K. Webb et al.: Further Evidence for Cosmological Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant. In: Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 091301 (2001)
H. Fritzsch, X. Calmet: Do the fundamental constants vary in the course of the cosmological evolution? In: arXiv.hep-ph/0212186
H. Fritzsch, X. Calmet: The cosmological evolution of the nucleon mass and the electroweak coupling constants. In: Eur. Phys. J. C 24, 639 (2002)
H. Fritzsch, X. Calmet: Symmetry breaking and time variation of gauge couplings. In: Phys. Lett. 9 541, 171 (2002)
H. Fritzsch, X. Calmet: Grand unification and time variation of the gauge couplings. In: Hamburg 2002, Supersymmetry and unification of fundamental interactions, Vol. 2* 1301–1306
T. Dent and M. Fairbairn: Time-varying coupling strengths, nuclear forces and unification. In: arXiv:hep-ph/0112279
P. Langacker, G. Segre and M. J. Strassler: Implications of gauge unification for time variation of the fine structure constant. In: Phys. Lett. B 528, 121 (2002)
T. Damour and F. Dyson: The Oklo bound on the time variation of the finestructure constant revisited. In: Nucl. Phys. B 480, 37 (1996)
V. V. Flambaum and E. V. Shuryak: Dependence of hadronic properties on quark masses and constraints on their cosmological variation. In: arXiv:hep-ph/0212403
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Fritzsch, H. (2004). A Time Variation of the QCD Scale. In: Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, H.V. (eds) Beyond the Desert 2003. Springer Proceedings in Physics, vol 92. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18534-2_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18534-2_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-62148-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-18534-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive