Year: 2000
Type: article
Abstract: We show that the supernovae results, which imply that there is evidence for an accelerating universe, may be closely related to the recent discovery of redshift dependence in the fine-structure constant alpha. The link is a class of varying speed-of-light (VSL) theories that contain cosmological solutions that are similar to quintessence. During the radiation-dominated epoch, the cosmological constant Lambda is prevented from dominating the universe by the usual VSL mechanism. In the matter-dominated epoch, the varying-c effects switch off, allowing Lambda to eventually surface and lead to an accelerating universe. By the time this happens, the residual variations in c imply a changing alpha at a rate that is in agreement with observations.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
DOI: 10.1086/312572
Authors: John D. Barrow, João Magueijo
Institutions: University of Cambridge, Imperial College London
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2092253463