Related papers: Variability of fundamental constants
It has been widely believed that variability of the fine-structure constant alpha would imply detectable violations of the weak equivalence principle. This belief is not justified in general. It is put to rest here in the context of the…
We review the observational information on the constancy of the fine structure constant alpha. We find that small improvements on the measurement of ^{187}Re lifetime can provide significant progress in exploring the range of variability…
The fine-structure constant alpha approximately 1/137 is traditionally regarded as a fundamental dimensionless parameter. I argue instead that alpha is a scaled quantity that arises only where the structural scales contributed by classical…
The speed of light is usually taken as one of the fundamental constants. String, and field, theories appear to require the altercation of this constant into a functional form $E(m,c)$ which is not $E=mc^2$. The analysis requires the…
Recent experimental data indicates that the fine structure constant alpha may be varying on cosmological time scales. We consider the possibility that such a variation could be induced by a second order phase transition which occurs at late…
A numerical coincidence relating the values of the cosmological, gravitational and electromagnetic fine structure constants is presented and discussed in relation to the apparent anthropic fine-tuning of these three fundamental constants of…
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…
The observed constraints on the variability of the proton to electron mass ratio $\mu$ and the fine structure constant $\alpha$ are used to establish constraints on the variability of the Quantum Chromodynamic Scale and a combination of the…
The product of two empirical constants, the dimensionless fine structure constant and the von Klitzing constant (an electrical resistance), turns out to be an exact dimensionless number. Then the accuracy and cosmological time variation (if…
Theoretical background of our proposed relation between the accelerating universe and the time-variability of the fine-structure constant is discussed, based on the scalar-tensor theory, with emphases on the intuitive aspects of underlying…
Calculation of the Dirac hydrogen atom spectrum in the framework of dynamical fine structure constant (alpha) variability discloses a small departure in the laboratory from Sommerfeld's formula for the fine structure shifts, possibly…
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…
We explore the possibility that the reported time variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ is due to a coupling between electromagnetism and gravitation. This may reconcile the claimed results on $\alpha$ with the upper limit from…
Motivated by reported claims of the measurements of a variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ we consider a theory where the electric charge, and consequently $\alpha$, is not a constant but depends on the Ricci scalar $R$. %We…
We consider a cosmological model with a variable gravitational constant, G, based on a scalar-tensor theory. Using the recent observational data for the Hubble diagram of type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) we find a phenomenological expression…
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…
Since Dirac predicted in 1937 possible variation of gravitational constant and other coupling constants from his large number hypothesis, efforts continue to determine such variation without success. Such efforts focus on the variation of…
Theories of fundamental physics as well as cosmology must ultimately not only account for the structure and evolution of the universe and the physics of fundamental interactions, but also lead to an understanding of why this particular…
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 start with a brief account of the latest analysis of the Oklo phenomenon providing the still most stringent constraint on time-variability of the fine- structure constant $\alpha$. Comparing this with the recent result from the…