Quasar absorption-line measurements of the cosmological variability of fundamental constants

A fundamental physical constant is a measure and a property of the Universe, believed to be unchanging in space and time. It is important to test this supposed universal constancy, as deeper understanding may likely lead to discovery of new laws of physics. In this work, light emitted from powerful phenomena called quasars is collected using the world's largest optical telescopes. This light intercepts matter billions of years ago, allowing the values of two different fundamental constants to be traced over vast regions of space and time. Careful analyses using novel methods suggest no anomalous variation given currently available precision.