CONTROVERSY over whether the fundamental constants of nature change with time has reignited. A new study is casting doubt on an earlier claim that a key constant varied as the universe evolved.
The study looks at alpha, the fine-structure constant. Alpha is crucial to the debate because it dictates the strength of the interaction between an electron and a photon, and governs a host of physical processes, from how the sun burns to the “inflation” of the universe immediately after the big bang. A changing alpha has implications for the constancy of the speed of light, and would revolutionise traditional…
