Over the years, many physicists have wondered whether the fundamental constants of nature might have been different when the universe was younger. If so, the evidence ought to be out there in the cosmos where we can see distant things exactly as they were in the past.
One thing that ought to be obvious is whether a number known as the fine structure constant was different. The fine structure constant determines how strongly atoms hold onto their electrons and is an important factor in the frequencies at which atoms absorb light.
If the fine structure were different earlier in the universe, we ought to be able to see the evidence in the way distant gas clouds absorb light on its way here from even more distant objects such as quasars.
That debate pales in comparison to new claims being made about the fine structure constant. In 2010, John Webb at the University of South Wales, one of the leading proponents of the varying constant idea, and a few cobbers said they have new evidence from the Very Large Telescope in Chile that the fine structure constant was different when the universe was younger.
While data from the Keck telescope indicate the fine structure constant was once smaller, the data from the Very Large Telescope indicates the opposite, that the fine structure constant was once larger. That’s significant because Keck looks out into the northern hemisphere, while the VLT looks south.
This means that in one direction, the fine structure constant was once smaller and in exactly the opposite direction, it was once bigger. And here we are in the middle, where the constant as it is (about 1/137.03599…)
So, do you think that fine structure constant varies with direction in space?
For further reading on this issue, see http://www.technologyreview.com/view/420529/fine-structure-constant-varies-with-direction-in-space-says-new-data/.
Refs:
arxiv.org/abs/1008.3907: Evidence For Spatial Variation Of The Fine Structure Constant
arxiv.org/abs/1008.3957: Manifestations Of A Spatial Variation Of Fundamental Constants On Atomic Clocks, Oklo.
Included here you can also find a 2004 ApJ paper by John Bahcall, who is a proponent of varying fine structure constant. (URL: http://www.sns.ias.edu/~jnb/Papers/Preprints/Finestructure/alpha.pdf)
The fine structure constant, or for that matter any fundamental constant, should not be dependent on direction. There should be a symmetry or isotropy in the various physical constants as far as the spatial dimensions are concerned. The variations could be there on temporal dimension, specifically during the initial stages of formation of the Universe.
Thank you, Sandeep, for your answer. Yes, the observation that results in varying fine structure constant with direction in space could be an anomaly in astronomy. Best wishes
The name fine structure constant is a way of speaking only.
In renormalization theory electromagnetic coupling depends
on the energy scale at which it is measured. At low energy
scales it is 1/137, but if energy is increased to electroweak
scale, then, say at E=m_Z which is the mass of the Z boson, fine
structure constant is 1/128. That means the value has
increased. Fine structure is a gauge coupling. Gauge
symmetries (local or global) are internal quantum numbers.
Whereas direction of space is an attribute of space-time. Yes
it is true that in a local gauge theory gauge transformations
depend on space-time coordinates. But gauge couplings do not.
See for example the book by L. Ryder.
I think that there is a general problem which shoukd be taken into account: Webb's claim for a change in the constant have not been confirmed by subsequent studies and they likely are just a misinterpretation of the data
Addition: if I am not wrong the results by Webb refer to Quasars in the equatorial belt which can be observed from both emispheres. Since these tests are performed on very bright objects, it is likely that the objects used for the test have been the same in the two works... but this needs to be checked.
Dear Victor.
According to the work I have done the fine structure constant actually varies in space.
Actually this constant shows the speed we are moving in over a static background fabric.
Watch some equations that emerge from the work I did and it has a demonstration on this constant.
Jorge, thank you for your answer. I have read your article at a glance, but apparently there is no mention whether your idea can explain John Webb's observation or not. Did you work by yourself? Best wishes
Dear Victor
Actually I had already done this piece of work that addresses the meaning of the constant of thin extruded this result appeared when the telescopes on their variation in the universe.
The work I did and very wide and large and I sent you are a few that I find interesting conclusion.
How to watch the derivation of relativity of quantum mechanics that this al been demonstrated.
The last job I have on the variation of the constant and 2011 and is already with 4.2 sigma certainty.
The last work I saw about this was that it was also published by APS.
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1008.3907v2.pdf
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