An update on the itme below from this list about month ago,
since I finally got time to get down to the library & look at the actual
paper in Phys. Rev. Lett. of 27 August 2001, 091301-4, by J.K. Webb et
al., "Further Evidence for Cosmological Evolution of the Fine Structure
Constant". It presents evidence from quasar absorption spectra for a
variantion in alpha = (e^2)/(h-bar)c . As I noted originally, the
simplest way to understand this is as a variation of e, not c (or h).
The paper does mention briefly near the end the possibility of a
variation in c but primarily because they think (with reference to
papers by other authors) that it could help to explain some other
cosmological data.
Highlighting the possibility of a change in the speed of light
seems to have been the decision of science writers rather that the
scientists involved in the work themselves. I don't know whether this
is because a change in c (with the possibility in the change of
Einstein's iconic status) is more jazzy than a variation in e or because
the writers just thought it was easier for the publisc to understand,
but it does seem to be an interesting commentary on the popular
presentation of science today.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Cosmic Laws Like Speed of Light Might Be Changing, a
Study Finds
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 08:55:15 -0400
From: george murphy <gmurphy@raex.com>
To: "Moorad Alexanian<alexanian@uncwil.edu>"
<alexanian@uncwil.edu>
CC: asa <asa@calvin.edu>
References: <3B7B13F7@webmail1>
"Moorad Alexanian" wrote:
> AUG 15, 2001
> Cosmic Laws Like Speed of Light Might Be Changing, a Study Finds
> By JAMES GLANZ and DENNIS OVERBYE
Without prejudice to the potential importance of this discovery (if
it holds up), the suggestion that c might be changing is an unwarranted
extrapolation. The fine structure constant determines the strength of
the EM interaction, & while it would indeed be surprising to find that
that it's changed in the way described here, there are ways of making
sense of that. In relativity, OTOH, c is a conversion factor between
different units for space-time intervals: 1 sec = 300,000 km. Thus a
change in c would be like a change in the conversion factor between
Celsius & Fahrenheit.
Of course a changing c isn't impossible. But it would mean that
we'd have to abandon not just a theory of a particular interaction but
special relativity, which defines the framework within which all local
physics has been understood for a century. (& this wouldn't mean "Back
to Newton" since all of the phenomena that SRT explains better than
classical physics would remain.)
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
"The Science-Theology Interface"
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Sep 15 2001 - 07:54:09 EDT