Variation in the Fine Structure Constant

[Mike Elphick]

The fine-structure constant, alpha, characterises the strength of the electromagnetic interaction. The anthropic principle is a controversial explanation of why the fine-structure constant takes on the value it does: stable matter, and therefore life and intelligent beings, could not exist if its value were much different.

RICHARD FEYNMAN, Nobel laureate and physicist extraordinaire, called it a "magic number" and its value "one of the greatest damn mysteries of physics". The number he was referring to, which goes by the symbol alpha and the rather more long-winded name of the fine-structure constant, is magic indeed. If it were a mere 4% bigger or smaller than it is, stars would not be able to sustain the nuclear reactions that synthesise carbon and oxygen atoms. One consequence would be that squishy, carbon-based life would not exist.

Why alpha takes on the precise value it does, so delicately fine-tuned for life, is a deep scientific mystery. A new piece of astrophysical research may, however, have uncovered a crucial piece of the puzzle. In a paper just submitted to Physical Review Letters, a team led by John Webb and Julian King from the University of New South Wales in Australia presents evidence that the fine-structure constant may not actually be constant after all. Rather, it seems to vary from place to place within the universe. If their results hold up to scrutiny they will have profound implications—for they suggest that the universe stretches far beyond what telescopes can observe, and that the laws of physics vary within it. Instead of the whole universe being fine-tuned for life, then, humanity finds itself in a corner of space where, Goldilocks-like, the values of the fundamental constants happen to be just right for it. http://www.economist.com/node/16941123?story_id=16941123​

 

[Cabal]

There was a thread on this a while back, actually.

But it's good to see it under discussion again - someone recently claimed in another thread that peer-review was about maintaining the status quo. Discussing a variable value of alpha would be pretty much the opposite of that, and here is a paper talking about just that. The proof of the pudding will be in the testing, however, and there's gonna have to be some really strong evidence found for this to get it to stick.