New cosmological constraints on the variation of fundamental constants: the fine structure constant and the Higgs vacuum expectation value

Aims: We study the time variation of the fine structure constant, α, and the Higgs vacuum expectation value v, during the Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Methods: We computed primordial abundances of light nuclei produced during the BBN stage by including resonances in the leading reaction rates whi...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Mosquera, Mercedes Elisa, Civitarese, Enrique Osvaldo
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:Argentina
Recursos:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/22277
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/22277
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Primordial nucleosynthesis
Cosmology: miscellaneous
Cosmological parameters
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descrição
Resumo:Aims: We study the time variation of the fine structure constant, α, and the Higgs vacuum expectation value v, during the Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Methods: We computed primordial abundances of light nuclei produced during the BBN stage by including resonances in the leading reaction rates which reduce the primordial abundance of beryllium. We performed this calculation considering that α and v may vary during the BBN. Using observable data on deuterium, 4He, and 7Li, we set constraints on the variation of the fundamental constants. Results: Results indicate a null variation of α and v, while the best-fit value for the baryon-to-photon ratio agrees well with the WMAP value. Conclusions: We found that the variation of α is null within 3σ, the variation of v is null within 6σ, and the preferred value of the baryon-to-photon ratio is in good agreement, within 3σ, with the value extracted using the WMAP data. We improve the fits respect to previous works