Related papers: Fundamental physical constants: current results in…
The Standard Model of particle physics and the theory of General Relativity (GR) currently provide a good description of almost all phenomena of particle physics and gravitation that have received controlled experimental tests. However, the…
A brief description of the main methods for determining the fine structure constant is given. It is shown that the exact value of the fine structure constant is important for the new International System of Units (SI) and for fundamental…
At present a number of current or proposed experiments are directed towards a search for a `new physics' by detecting variations of fundamental physical constants or violations of certain basic symmetries. Various problems related to the…
Fundamental constants are a cornerstone of the physical laws. Any constant varying in space and/or time would signal a violation of local position invariance and be associated with a violation of the universality of free fall, and hence of…
One of the topical problems of contemporary physics is a possible variability of the fundamental constants. Here we consider possible variability of two dimensionless constants which are most important for calculation of atomic and…
By measuring the fundamental constants in astrophysical objects one can test basic physical principles as space-time invariance of physical laws along with probing the applicability limits of the standard model of particle physics. The…
The notion of ``fundamental constant'' is heavily theory-laden. A natural, fairly precise formulation is possible in the context of the standard model (here defined to include gravity). Some fundamental constants have profound geometric…
We review recent activity searching for variations in the fundamental constants of nature in quasar absorption spectra and in the laboratory. While research in this direction has been ongoing for many decades, the topic has recently been…
I briefly present some current theoretical motivations for time or space variations of the fundamental constants of nature and review current key observational results. I focus on the fine-structure constant, and particularly on…
Many physical theories beyond the Standard Model predict time variations of basic physics parameters. Direct measurement of the time variations of these parameters is very difficult or impossible to achieve. By contrast, measurements of…
We consider different options for the search for possible variations of the fundamental constants. We give a brief overview of the results obtained with several methods. We discuss their advantages and disadvantages with respect to…
The search for variation of the fundamental constants such as the fine structure constant $\alpha$ ($\alpha=e^2/\hbar c$) and the ratios of fundamental masses (e.g., electron to proton mass ratio $\mu=m_e/m_p$) is reviewed. Strong emphasis…
Astrophysical observations suggest that the fine structure constant (alpha) may (or may not) be evolving over the cosmological time scale. This raises a much debated question: is alpha variation due to the variation of the speed of light…
We discuss the experimental consequences of hypothetical time variations of the fundamental constants. We emphasize that from a purely phenomenological point of view, only dimensionless fundamental constants have significance. Two classes…
The existing observational data on possible variations of fundamental physical constants (FPC) confirm more or less confidently only a variability of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ in space and time. A model construction method is…
We show that if one or more of the `constants' of Nature can vary then their values, as measured in the laboratory, should oscillate over the year in a very particular way. These seasonal changes in the constants could well be detected, in…
We review astrophysical, cosmological and terrestrial evidence for and against the constancy of fundamental parameters of particle physics, and discuss theoretical issues of unification and scalar-mediated forces, finding that the current…
It is argued that the CODATA recommended values of the fundamental physical constants could not be used as the reference data in searching the hypothetical space-time variations of the fundamental physical constants. It is shown that the…
The observational evidence for the recent acceleration of the universe demonstrates that canonical theories of cosmology and particle physics are incomplete---if not incorrect---and that new physics is out there, waiting to be discovered. A…
Fundamental constants are a cornerstone of our physical laws. Any constant varying in space and/or time would reflect the existence of an almost massless field that couples to matter. This will induce a violation of the universality of free…