Fine-Structure Constant Maybe Not So Constant

Kilrah_il writes "The fine-structure constant, a coupling constant characterizing the strength of the electromagnetic interaction, has been measured lately by scientists from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and has been found to change slightly in light sent from quasars in galaxies as far back as 12 billion years ago. Although the results look promising, caution is advised: 'This would be sensational if it were real, but I'm still not completely convinced that it's not simply systematic errors' in the data, comments cosmologist Max Tegmark of MIT. Craig Hogan of the University of Chicago and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., acknowledges that 'it's a competent team and a thorough analysis.' But because the work has such profound implications for physics and requires such a high level of precision measurements, 'it needs more proof before we'll believe it.'"

Comments

first constant post

[Anonymous Coward]

we need more research to tell if this is first or not.

Re:first constant post

[AnonymousClown]

we need more research to tell if this is first or not.

I am unable to reproduce your results.

Re:first constant post

[Anonymous Coward]

I am unable to reproduce your results.

It worked for me; my post is also first.

Re: Don't Hold Your Breath

[Black Parrot]

The fine structure constant is given as being equal to "e^2/hc", so if the FSC is not a constant then one (or more) of the other values must also be a variable.

Or maybe the "2" is changing?

Not mathematically, but 1.999--> 2.001 or such.

Re:Don't Hold Your Breath

[Anonymous Coward]

the farther you look up, the farther you can see things going over your head

Re: Don't Hold Your Breath

[symbolset]

Wait, there's also the operators "^" and "/" to consider. Maybe those are the variables.

Re:A link to the paper itself

[Inthewire]

They seem to be in good shape. Thank you for your efforts.

Re: Don't Hold Your Breath

[Anonymous Coward]

If C++ can overload operators, why couldn't Nature?

In other news

[sam_handelman]

Duplicate joke for a duplicate claim:

Planck's constant (h) increased in value this morning to roughly 50 joule-seconds, sending the DJIA to a 95% confidence interval between 0 and 15,000, and increasing the wavelength of a penny moving at a brisk walk to a value on the order of it's own diameter, so that macroscopic, every day objects behave as waves instead of billiard balls. Tennis players in central park (whose velocity could not be determined as of this printing) may have been alarmed to find tennis balls which hit their rackets were defracted and created interference patterns on the fence behind, instead of going into the opposing court.