The fundamental constants and their variation: observational and theoretical status

By Jean-Philippe Uzan. 2002

831 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This article describes the various experimental bounds on the variation of the fundamental constants of nature. After a discussion of the role of fundamental constants, their definition and link with metrology, it reviews the various constraints on the variation of the fine-structure constant, the gravitational, weak- and strong-interaction couplings and the electron-to-proton mass ratio. The review aims (1) to provide the basics of each measurement, (2) to show as clearly as possible why it constrains a given constant, and (3) to point out the underlying hypotheses. Such an investigation is of importance in comparing the different results and in understanding the recent claims of the detection of a variation of the fine-structure constant and of the electron-to-proton mass ratio in quasar absorption spectra. The theoretical models leading to the prediction of such variation are also reviewed, including Kaluza-Klein theories, string theories, and other alternative theories. Cosmological implications of these results are also discussed. The links with the tests of general relativity are emphasized.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/007fb218e52a9eb474096e607be6aceb6577fffa

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In Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. D. M. Alexander
2. R. Ivison
3. I. Smail
4. L. Hernquist
5. R. Dav'e
6. D. Narayanan
7. A. Koekemoer
8. C. Casey

Citations in the corpus

• EMU: Evolutionary Map of the Universe (2011, background): “While general relativity (GR) is consistent with all current observational measurements (e.g. Uzan 2003), it fails to connect gravity with the other fundamental forces, models for which lead to hypotheses such as ‘brane-worlds’ (Brax & van de Bruck 2003) in which gravity is modified by leakage into…”
• Optical lattice clocks and quantum metrology (2011, background): “Atomic clocks should keep the same time regardless of their constituent elements if α is constant, but the constancy of α is still a controversial issu”