Asteroseismic Constraints on the Cosmic-time Variation of the Gravitational Constant from an Ancient Main-sequence Star

We investigate the variation of the gravitational constant G over the history of the universe by modeling the effects on the evolution and asteroseismology of the low-mass star KIC 7970740, which is one of the oldest (∼11 Gyr) and best-observed solar-like oscillators in the Galaxy. From these data we find $\dot{G}/G=(1.2\pm 2.6)\times {10}^{-12}\,{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$, that is, no evidence for any variation in G. We also find a Bayesian asteroseismic estimate of the age of the universe as well as astrophysical S-factors for five nuclear reactions obtained through a 12-dimensional stellar evolution Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation.