The standard model has certain spaces. Yes, it describes the electromagnetic, weak and strong interaction of all elementary particles. But it does not include gravity. Does not give an answer to the question, what is dark matter. And most importantly, it cannot explain why the current fundamental physical constants have exactly such values. The standard model is also not able to explain or predict the dependence of the fundamental physical constants on variable factors such as space and time.

Therefore, physicists quite logically ask themselves whether the fundamental constants have changed over time. And if so, how. Since the theory is not able to properly explain the values ​​of constants and their change, the only scientific method remains - direct measurement of the values ​​of the fundamental constants at different points in space-time.

The fine structure constant (PTS), one of the fundamental physical constants, is well suited for answering this question. PTS determines the size of the magnitude (splitting) of the energy levels of the atom and, consequently, the formation of a fine structure - a set of narrow and close frequencies in its spectral lines. The splitting occurs due to the quantum effect, the interaction of two electrons of an atom as a result of the exchange of virtual photons.

The fine structure constant is a dimensionless quantity formed by a combination of other fundamental constants.
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It turns out that when measuring the TCP, we immediately determine the relationship between several fundamental constants: Planck's constant, the speed of light in a vacuum, the number of pi, and the elementary electric charge.

If measurements show that the TCP was different, then one or several of the following constants were once different in the past:

• Planck's constant (from the Dirac constant in the above TCP formula);
• the speed of light in a vacuum;
• pi number (from the Dirac constant in the above TCP formula);
• elementary electric charge.

Today it is known that the ratio of these constants is

7.2973525664 (17) × 10 ⁻³

(this is the recommended value of TCP for today).

But what happened in the past?

Some previous work on the study of the cosmic evolution of the fine-structure constant indicated a significant change in the TCP in time. For example, on such a delta:

∆α / α _◦ = (−0.574 ± 0.102) × 10 ⁻⁵ for 0.2 ≤ z ≤ 3.7 (see the work Murphy, MT, Curran, SJ, & Webb, JK " Deep Searches for High Redshift Molecular Absorption ", 2003, MNRAS, 342, 830).

For 15 years, other PTS measurements were carried out using spectral lines in distant quasars, which are in direct line of sight.

Spectrum measurement


But if one fundamental constant changes with time, then it can be assumed that other fundamental constants may change. Based on the evolution of the Universe, they should change now, if this is a permanent process. Immediately the question arises: exactly which fundamental constants change?

Moreover, there are many new theories that are trying to correct the Standard Model - finally, combine it with gravity. And these theories imply a change in the fundamental constants over time.

An additional study on this topic was conducted by astrophysics RF Carswell from the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge and SM Kotuš, MT Murphy from the Center for Astrophysics and Supercomputer Computing at Swinburne University of Technology. Their work was published on October 8, 2016 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (doi: 10.1093 / mnras / stw2543).

Like their predecessors, they also measured the fine structures in the spectral lines of a distant quasar. The quasar (QSO) HE 0515-4414 was chosen for measurement, from which the light on its way to the future Earth passed through a galaxy that was 8.5 billion light-years distant from us in space-time. This is the brightest quasar with a redshift of more than z = 1 in the southern hemisphere of the starry sky.

Measurements have shown that the fine structure constant in the galaxy coincides with that of the Earth. This means that 8.5 billion years ago in our Universe, electromagnetism was about the same as now.

Scientists believe that the incorrect data of previous measurements of the quasar spectrum is due to the fact that other scientists used not very accurate methods, including the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) telescope at the European Southern Observatory. The authors of the new study found a way to correct the readings of this spectrograph with the help of another spectrograph. They suggested that the observed delta velocity (redshift - the shift of the spectral lines) is explained precisely by the difference in the physical velocity of the objects, and not by the delta of the TCP. The authors are confident that they have eliminated the systematic error in all previous studies that showed the difference in the TCP (there are about a dozen of these studies).

This experiment contradicts other experimental data, but it confirms the Standard Model and still does not allow combining the force of gravity with other types of interactions within the framework of a unified theory. But scientists will certainly continue these attempts. Within a few years, they will be able to more accurately measure the spectrum of quasars on new telescopes with more accurate spectrographs.

If we assume that the Standard Model has survived, scientists still do not have an answer to the question why 8.5 billion years ago the fundamental physical constants were the same as now.