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Toward a Direct Measurement of the Cosmic Acceleration

We present precise HI 21 cm absorption line redshifts observed in multiple epochs to directly constrain the secular redshift drift dz/dt_o or the cosmic acceleration, dv/dt_o. A comparison of literature analog spectra to contemporary digital spectra shows significant acceleration likely attributable to systematic instrumental errors. However, we obtain robust constraints using primarily Green Bank Telescope digital data. Ten objects spanning z=0.09-0.69 observed over 13.5 years show dz/dt_o = (-2.3 +/- 0.8) x 10^-8 yr^-1 or dv/dt_o = -5.5 +/- 2.2 m/s/yr. The best constraint from a single object, 3C286 at <z> = 0.692153275(85), is dz/dt_o = (1.6 +/- 4.7) x 10^-8 yr^-1 or dv/dt_o =2.8 +/- 8.4 m/s/yr. These measurements are three orders of magnitude larger than the theoretically expected acceleration at z=0.5, dz/dt_o = 2 x 10^-11 yr^-1 or dv/dt_o = 0.3 cm/s/yr, but they demonstrate the lack of peculiar acceleration in absorption line systems and the long-term frequency stability of modern radio telescopes. A comparison of UV metal absorption lines to the 21 cm line improves constraints on the cosmic variation of physical constants: Delta(alpha^2 g_p mu)/(alpha^2 g_p mu) = (-1.2 +/- 1.4) x 10^-6 in the redshift range z=0.24-2.04. The linear evolution over the last 10.4 Gyr is (-0.2 +/- 2.7) x 10^-16 yr^-1, consistent with no variation. The cosmic acceleration could be directly measured in ~125 years using current telescopes or in ~5 years using a Square Kilometer Array, but systematic effects will arise at the 1 cm/s/yr level.