POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN THE CHANGING FINE-STRUCTURE CONSTANT AND THE ACCELERATING UNIVERSE VIA SCALAR-TENSOR THEORY

Abstract

In 1976, Shlyakhter showed that the Sm data from Oklo results in the upper bound on the time-variability of the fine-structure constant: [Formula: see text], which has ever been the most stringent bound. Since the details have never been published, however, we recently re-analyzed the latest data according to Shlyakhter's recipe. We nearly re-confirmed his results. To be more precise, however, the Sm data gives either an upper-bound or an evidence for a changing [Formula: see text]. A remark is made to a similar re-analysis due to Damour and Dyson. We also compare our result with a recent "evidence" due to Webb et al, obtained from distant QSO's. We point out a possible connection between this time-dependence and the behavior of a scalar field supposed to be responsible for the acceleration of the universe, also revealed recently.