Do the fundamental constants change with time ?
Abstract
Comparisons between the redshifts of spectral lines from cosmologically-distant galaxies can be used to probe temporal changes in low-energy fundamental constants like the fine structure constant and the proton-electron mass ratio. In this article, I review the results from, and the advantages and disadvantages of, the best techniques using this approach, before focussing on a new method, based on conjugate satellite OH lines, that appears to be less affected by systematic effects and hence holds much promise for the future.
Cite
@article{arxiv.0810.1356,
title = {Do the fundamental constants change with time ?},
author = {Nissim Kanekar},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0810.1356},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
15 pages, 3 figures. This is an electronic version of an invited review article for Mod. Phys. Lett. A, published as [Mod. Phys. Lett. A, Vol. 23, No. 32, 2008, pp. 2711] (copyright World Scientific Publishing Company; http://www.worldscientific.com/)