Varying Constants and Fundamental Cosmology – VARCOSMOFUN’16

Session

Plenary session IV

P4

15 Sept 2016, 09:00

Room 7 (Maritime University of Szczecin Campus, Szczerbcowa 4)

Conveners

Plenary session IV

• Leszek Roszkowski

Plenary session IV

• Leszek Roszkowski

111. Spacetime variations of the varying alpha: The first 1000 high-precision measurements

John Webb (UNSW)

15/09/2016, 09:00

plenary

We are preparing a large sample of high-precision varying alpha measurements using quasar spectra. The measurements are being made using the new automated AI methodology described in arXiv:1606.07393 which eliminates any important human bias. A detailed study of long-range wavelength distortions in UVES/VLT and HIRES/Keck samples will also be described. I will show that such distortions are...

36. New, precise and reliable quasar absorption limits on alpha-variation

Michael Murphy (Swinburne University of Technology)

15/09/2016, 10:00

plenary

Previous evidence for time and space variations in the fine-structure constant (alpha) emerged from large samples of quasar spectra observed with the Very Large Telescope and Keck telescope. I will first review this evidence in light of our work that identified systematic wavelength calibration errors in these telescopes. These errors are subtle, complex and still not fully understood; they...

108. Fundamental cosmology in the E-ELT era

Carlos Martins (University of Porto)

15/09/2016, 11:30

plenary

The observational evidence for the recent acceleration of the universe demonstrates that canonical theories of cosmology and particle physics are incomplete (and possibly incorrect) and that new physics is out there, waiting to be discovered. The most fundamental task for the next generation of astrophysical facilities is to search for, identify and ultimately characterize this new physics. I...