On the cosmological variation of the fine-structure constant

Abstract

A phenomenological and Newtonian model is proposed to explain the recent observed cosmological variation of the fine-structure constant as an effect of the quantum vacuum, assuming a at universe with cosmological Lambda constant in the cases (Omega(M), Omega(Lambda)) equal to (0.3, 0.7) and (1,0). Because of the fourth Heisenberg relation, the lifetime of the virtual pairs of the zero-point radiation must depend on the gravitational potential Phi, so that the quantum vacuum changes its density and acquires a relative permittivity different from one. Since the matter was more concentrated in the past, the gravitational potential of all the universe was stronger and the optical density of the vacuum higher, the electron charge being then more renormalized and smaller than now. The model predicts that Deltaalpha/alpha is proportional to {Omega(M)[a(t)(-1)-1]-2Omega(Lambda)[a(t)(2)-1]}, a(t) being the scale factor. This agrees with the observations.