  Rotation angle of the plane of polarization of the distant galactic radio
waves has been estimated in a string inspired axion-dilaton background. It is
found that the axion,dual to the field strength of the second rank
antisymmetric massless Kalb-Ramond field in the string spectrum, produces a
wavelength independent optical rotation which is much larger than that produced
by the dilaton. Detection of such rotation has been reported in some recent
cosmological experiments. The observed value has been compared with our
estimated theoretical value following various cosmological constraints. The
effects of warped extra dimensions in a braneworld scenario on such an optical
rotation have been investigated.
