Speaker
Carlos Martins
(CAUP)
Description
The observational evidence for the recent acceleration of the universe shows that canonical theories of cosmology and particle physics are incomplete, and that new physics is waiting to be discovered. A key task for astrophysical facilities is to search for, identify and ultimately characterize this new physics. I will discuss recent developments in tests of the stability of nature's fundamental constants, which provide a direct handle on new physics. I will summarize the theoretical context and expectations, the latest observational constraints, and some implications for dark energy models. Time permitting I will also briefly highlight the gains in sensitivity expected from next-generation facilities.
