Title : |
Do the Fundamental Constants change with Time ? |
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Speaker | : | Prof. Nissim Kanekar, NCRA-TIFR, Pune |
Date | : | November 28, 2018 |
Time | : | 3:00 PM |
Venue | : | Lecture Hall-1 |
Abstract | : |
Temporal evolution in low-energy fundamental constants such as the fine structure constant and the proton-electron mass ratio is a generic prediction of theories that attempt to unify the Standard Model of particle physics and general relativity. The exciting possibility of low-energy tests of such unification theories has inspired a number of methods to probe fundamental constant evolution on a range of timescales, from years to billions of years. Astrophysical studies of redshifted spectral lines provide a powerful probe of such putative changes in the low-energy fundamental constants across a large fraction of the age of the Universe. After reviewing the current state of the field, I will describe a technique based on the radio spectral lines of the hydroxyl molecule, and will describe new high-sensitivity results from this method. Finally, I will discuss present limitations of such studies and the improvements that are likely to be possible with the advent of new experimental and observational facilities over the next decade. |