Astrophysics, Clocks and Fundamental Constants

Savely G. Karshenboim, Ekkehard Peik

Springer Science & Business Media, Aug 11, 2004 - Science - 347 pages

The question of a possible temporal variation of the fundamental constants was raised by Paul Dirac in his "large number hypothesis" in 1937. Today it appears in the context of the search for a unified theory of the fundamental interactions. It touches both fundamental and applied physics, as the postulate of the unalterability of the constants is the foundation for modern metrology. The book presents reviews written by leading experts in the field. Focussing on the question of variations of the fundamental "constants" in time or space, the chapters cover the theoretical framework in which variations are expected and the search for variations of quantities like the fine-structure constant, the electron/proton mass ratio, g-factors of proton and neutron etc. in astrophysical and geophysical observations and in precision experiments with atomic clocks and frequency standards.

Contents

• An Introduction: 1
• 60: 13
• St J Russell Phys Rev Lett 85: 18
• Time and the Universe: 21
• 1000: 28
• Millisecond Pulsars: 33
• Physics and Metrology: 57
• G: 62
• Papers from a Seminar held in the Royal Dublin Society: 64
• JANUARYJUNE 1881: 65
• Constants Units and Standards: 75
• Time Varying Fundamental Constants: 97
• Fundamental Constants: 107
• Quantum Gravity and Fundamental Constants: 115
• Constraining Variations: 131
• 1: 136
• Terrestrial isotope fraction r: 143
• Astrophysical Constraints: 151
• Oklo Constraint on the TimeVariability: 167
• Fig 2 Nearly complete cancellation between the repulsive Coulomb: 169
• 155 Gd: 184
• Cold Atom Clocks Precision Oscillators: 189
• Precision Spectroscopy of Atomic Hydrogen: 209
• An Optical Frequency Standard: 229
• Trapped Ion Optical Frequency Standards: 247
• An Optical Frequency Standard Based: 263
• 25: 268
• Applications of Femtosecond Laser Comb: 275
• a Time Domain: 277
• Novel Systems: 297
• Energy cm1: 303
• pt: 316
• Search for New Physics with Atomic Clocks: 331
• Z: 335
• Optical: 336

Bibliographic information

• Title: Astrophysics, Clocks and Fundamental Constants; Volume 648 of Lecture Notes in Physics
• Editors: Savely G. Karshenboim, Ekkehard Peik
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media, 2004
• ISBN: 3540219676, 9783540219675
• Length: 347 pages
• Subjects: Science / Gravity; Science / Physics / Astrophysics; Science / Physics / Nuclear; Science / Physics / Quantum Theory; Science / Weights & Measures; Technology & Engineering / Measurement