Are the Fundamental Constants Changing?

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Previous Episode:
The Future of Space Telescopes


Webb et al. 1998, A Search for Time Variation of the Fine Structure Constant


Webb et al. 2011, A Search for Time Variation of the Fine Structure Constant


Martins & Pinho 2016, Stability of Fundamental Couplings: a Global Analysis


The laws of physics are the same everywhere in the universe. At least we astrophysicists hope so. After all, it’s hard to unravel the complexities of distant parts of the universe if we don’t know the basic rules. But what if this is wrong? There is a hint of evidence that the fundamental constants that govern our universe may evolve over time, and even from one location to another.

Written by Graeme Gossel and Matt O’Dowd
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