Alpha Constant May Not Be Constant

Dr Michael Murphy of Cambridge University, speaking at the Physics 2005 conference, has suggested that the fine structure constant, one of the cornerstones of physics, might not be constant after all. The fine structure constant, or alpha constant as it is often called, is a critical number which seems to be precisely tuned for life to exist. It governs the electromagnetic force which holds all atoms and molecules together. Scientists have known for many years that if its value was slightly different, life could not exist. Most scientists believe that alpha today is the same as it always has been. But Murphy thinks this sacred number might be changing.

Murphy’s theory is based on the knowledge that the constant affects the spectral absorption “fingerprint” of atoms, which can be detected when light shines through gas clouds. Murphy has been using the Keck telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii to study light from distant quasars. He has used quasars as distant light sources whose billion-year-old light encounters gas clouds on its way to Earth. The absorption spectra of these distant encounters is recorded and compared to spectra obtained in experiments on Earth. By comparing the gas cloud fingerprints with those obtained on Earth, he concludes that alpha has changed by about one part in two-hundred-thousand during the last 10 billion years.

Other researchers have published results which suggest that alpha does not change but Murphy believes his work is the most detailed survey ever performed. He says that the internal checks in his method, which other research groups did not use, make it the most reliable measurement to date. Murphy is careful not to claim that the case is closed, and he says that nobody can really say that alpha varies until another type of experiment has confirmed it. “We are claiming something extraordinary here,” said Murphy, “and the evidence, though strong, is not yet extraordinary enough.”

Comments are closed.

INTEL XEON E5 2520V2 E5 2620V2 SR1AN 2.10 GHZ Core Processor 3401A832 picture

INTEL XEON E5 2520V2 E5 2620V2 SR1AN 2.10 GHZ Core Processor 3401A832

$12.00



INTEL S5000PSL Multi-Core Xeon Motherboard / Server Board w/ 2X L5420 & 2X2G RAM picture

INTEL S5000PSL Multi-Core Xeon Motherboard / Server Board w/ 2X L5420 & 2X2G RAM

$48.44



Used Fujitsu TX100 S3 Server Intel Xeon E3-1220v2 3.1GHz 4GB 1TB NIB RAID 0,1,10 picture

Used Fujitsu TX100 S3 Server Intel Xeon E3-1220v2 3.1GHz 4GB 1TB NIB RAID 0,1,10

$120.00



Intel Xeon E5-2660 v3 10 Core 2.6Ghz QFRZ LGA2011-3 ES CPU picture

Intel Xeon E5-2660 v3 10 Core 2.6Ghz QFRZ LGA2011-3 ES CPU

$129.99



INTEL INSIDE Vintage Lot of 3 Office Magnets centrino - XEON Strong Metal RARE picture

INTEL INSIDE Vintage Lot of 3 Office Magnets centrino - XEON Strong Metal RARE

$19.99



Xeon Platinum CPU Clam Shell Case fit Intel Socket LGA4677 - Lot of 12 25 60 100 picture

Xeon Platinum CPU Clam Shell Case fit Intel Socket LGA4677 - Lot of 12 25 60 100

$16.90



Intel Xeon  E5-2430 [6-core -2.2G] picture

Intel Xeon E5-2430 [6-core -2.2G]

$7.99



VA Xeon Lamp ~ X6321 picture

VA Xeon Lamp ~ X6321

$99.95



Open box TYAN S5397AG2NRF server workstation mainboard Dual xeon picture

Open box TYAN S5397AG2NRF server workstation mainboard Dual xeon

$289.00



Iwill DNS-SATA E7520 Intel Chipset eATX Xeon Socket 604 Server Board picture

Iwill DNS-SATA E7520 Intel Chipset eATX Xeon Socket 604 Server Board

$195.00



Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes