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About some possible empirical evidences in favor of a cosmological time variation of the speed of light

Published 16 December 2009 Europhysics Letters Association
, , Citation Y.-H. Sanejouand 2009 EPL 88 59002 DOI 10.1209/0295-5075/88/59002

0295-5075/88/5/59002

Abstract

Possible empirical evidences in favor of the hypothesis that the speed of light decreases by a few centimeters per second each year are examined. Lunar laser ranging data are found to be consistent with this hypothesis, which also provides a straightforward explanation for the so-called Pioneer anomaly, that is, a time-dependent blue-shift observed when analyzing radio tracking data from distant spacecrafts, as well as an alternative explanation for both the apparent time-dilation of remote events and the apparent acceleration of the Universe. The main argument against this hypothesis, namely, the constancy of fine-structure and Rydberg constants, is discussed. Both of them being combinations of several physical constants, their constancy implies that, if the speed of light is indeed time-dependent, then at least two other "fundamental constants" have to vary as well. This puts severe constraints on the development of any future varying–speed-of-light theory.

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10.1209/0295-5075/88/59002