Abstract
A time variation in the Higgs vacuum expectation value alters the electron mass and thereby changes the ionization history of the universe. This change produces a measurable imprint on the pattern of cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuations. The nuclear masses and nuclear binding energies, as well as the Fermi coupling constant, are also altered, with negligible impact on the CMB. We calculate the changes in the spectrum of the CMB fluctuations as a function of the change in the electron mass We find that future CMB experiments could be sensitive to However, we also show that a change in is nearly, but not exactly, degenerate with a change in the fine-structure constant If both and are time varying, the corresponding CMB limits are much weaker, particularly for
- Received 9 December 1999
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.62.023510
©2000 American Physical Society