Variations of α and G from nonlinear multidimensional gravity

To explain the recently reported large-scale spatial variations of the fine structure constant α, we apply some models of curvature-nonlinear multidimensional gravity. Under the reasonable assumption of slow changes of all quantities as compared with the Planck scale, the original theory reduces to a multiscalar field theory in four dimensions. On this basis, we consider different variants of isotropic cosmological models in both the Einstein and Jordan conformal frames. One of the models turns out to be equally viable in both frames, but in the Jordan frame themodel predicts simultaneous variations of α and the gravitational constant G, equal in magnitude. Large-scale small inhomogeneous perturbations of these models allow for explaining the observed distribution of α values. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd