Analysis of Molecular Hydrogen Absorption toward QSO B0642-5038 for a Varying Proton-to-Electron Mass Ratio

TL;DR

This study investigates potential variations in the proton-to-electron mass ratio over cosmological time by analyzing molecular hydrogen absorption lines in a quasar spectrum, accounting for calibration uncertainties.

Contribution

It provides a new measurement of proton-electron mass ratio variation using H2 absorption lines, including calibration corrections and comprehensive spectral fitting.

Findings

Measured Δμ/μ = (12.7 ± 4.5 (stat) ± 4.2 (sys)) × 10^{-6} after calibration correction.

Identified wavelength calibration errors affecting previous measurements.

Determined physical conditions of the absorbing gas, including temperature and molecular fraction.

Abstract

Rovibronic molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) transitions at redshift $z_{\rm abs} \simeq 2.659$ towards the background quasar B0642$-$5038 are examined for a possible cosmological variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio, $\mu$. We utilise an archival spectrum from the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph with a signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$35 per 2.5-km$\,$s$^{-1}$ pixel at the observed H$_2$ wavelengths (335--410 nm). Some 111 H$_2$ transitions in the Lyman and Werner bands have been identified in the damped Lyman $\alpha$ system for which a kinetic gas temperature of $\sim$84 K and a molecular fraction $\log f = -2.18\pm0.08$ is determined. The H$_2$ absorption lines are included in a comprehensive fitting method, which allows us to extract a constraint on a variation of the proton-electron mass ratio, $\Delta\mu/\mu$, from all transitions at once. We obtain $\Delta\mu/\mu = (17.1 \pm 4.5_{\rm stat} \pm3.7_{\rm sys})\times10^{-6}$. However, we find evidence that this measurement has been affected by wavelength miscalibration errors recently identified in UVES. A correction based on observations of objects with solar-like spectra gives a smaller $\Delta\mu/\mu$ value and contributes to a larger systematic uncertainty: $\Delta\mu/\mu = (12.7 \pm 4.5_{\rm stat} \pm4.2_{\rm sys})\times10^{-6}$.