Energy production in varying α theories

KRAISELBURD, L.; MILLER BERTOLAMI, M.; SISTERNA, P.; VUCETICH, H.

ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS

EDP SCIENCES S A

Lugar: Les Ulis; Año: 2011 vol. 529 p. 1 - 8

0004-6361

Aims. On the basis of the theoretical model proposed by Bekenstein for α’s variation, we analyze the equations that describe theenergy exchange between matter and both the electromagnetic and the scalar fields.Methods. We determine how the energy flow of the material is modified by the presence of a scalar field. We estimate the totalmagnetic energy of matter from the “sum rules techniques”. We compare the results with data obtained from the thermal evolution ofthe Earth and other planets.Results. We obtain stringent upper limits to the variations in α that are comparable with those obtained from atomic clock frequencyvariations.Conclusions. Our constraints imply that the fundamental length scale of Bekenstein’s theory “B” cannot be larger than Planck’slength “P”.