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OATS-DAUT SEMINAR
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Speaker: Martin Wendt (Hamburg University, Germany)

Title: Variability of the proton-to-electron mass ratio on cosmological scales - methods and shortcomings

Date: Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
Time: 12:00
Venue: Villa Bazzoni

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Abstract:
The idea of varying fundamental physical constants is probably as old as the very first definition of constants. The interest in varying constants increased greatly since the 1980s due to new developments in the Kaluza-Klein and supergravity models of unifications of all physical interactions. Contemporary theories of fundamental interactions, particularly those subsumed as String-theories allow for all kinds of variations of fundamental constants. It is up to cosmology to achieve first estimates and constraints of possible variations since nowadays laboratory experiments lack the precision and spatial or temporal coverage. The methods and procedures involved in the determination of a possible variation of the proton-electron mass ratio on cosmological time scales will be shortly introduced and exemplified. New claims on a significant variation have recently been made. The ambiguity of the results will be critically examined on the basis of an independent data analysis and some of the shortcomings of the methods involved are discussed.
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contact: Paolo Molaro (OATS)