Analysis of Molecular Hydrogen Absorption toward QSO B0642-5038 for a
  Varying Proton-to-Electron Mass Ratio
  Rovibronic molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) transitions at redshift $z_{\rm abs}
\simeq 2.659$ towards the background quasar B0642$-$5038 are examined for a
possible cosmological variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio, $\mu$. We
utilise an archival spectrum from the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and
Visual Echelle Spectrograph with a signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$35 per
2.5-km$\,$s$^{-1}$ pixel at the observed H$_2$ wavelengths (335--410 nm). Some
111 H$_2$ transitions in the Lyman and Werner bands have been identified in the
damped Lyman $\alpha$ system for which a kinetic gas temperature of $\sim$84 K
and a molecular fraction $\log f = -2.18\pm0.08$ is determined. The H$_2$
absorption lines are included in a comprehensive fitting method, which allows
us to extract a constraint on a variation of the proton-electron mass ratio,
$\Delta\mu/\mu$, from all transitions at once. We obtain $\Delta\mu/\mu = (17.1
\pm 4.5_{\rm stat} \pm3.7_{\rm sys})\times10^{-6}$. However, we find evidence
that this measurement has been affected by wavelength miscalibration errors
recently identified in UVES. A correction based on observations of objects with
solar-like spectra gives a smaller $\Delta\mu/\mu$ value and contributes to a
larger systematic uncertainty: $\Delta\mu/\mu = (12.7 \pm 4.5_{\rm stat}
\pm4.2_{\rm sys})\times10^{-6}$.
