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Mendeleev Institute for Metrology Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt 198005 St. Petersburg Bundesallee 100 Russia 38116 Braunschweig and Germany Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik 85748 Garching Germany S.), Astrophysics, Clocks and Fundamental Constants, Lect.1007/b13178 Library of Congress Control Number: 2004107591 ISSN 0075-8450 ISBN 3-540-21967-6 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustra- tions, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its cur- rent version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer.
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Strocchi, Symmetry Breaking with Long-Range Correlations Vol. Kosmann-Schwarzbach, Vol.) Discrete Integrable Systems Quantum Dynamics Vol.), Understand- Bishop (Eds.), Quantum Magnetism ing Calcium Dynamics, Experiments and Theory Vol.), Granular Gas Dynamics (Eds.), The Early Universe and Observational Cos- Vol. Diaz-Guilera mology (Eds.), Statistical Mechanics of Complex Networks Vol.), Galaxies Heavy Quark Physics and Chaos Vol.), Pre- physics, Clocks and Fundamental Constants cision Physics of Simple Atomic Systems Vol.), Quantum State Vol.), Interfacial Estimation Fluid Dynamics and Transport Processes www.com Foreword We know that we live in an expanding and changing universe, but nevertheless we prefer some solid foundations upon which to base our reasoning. This idea is reflected in the introduction of quantities that we call the “fundamental phys- ical constants”.
These constants do, as John D. Barrow said, “capture at once our greatest knowledge and our greatest ignorance about the universe”. The in- terrelations between them give us hints where to look for underlying common foundations of phenomena that are observed in different branches of physics. At the same time, we also call these quantities “fundamental” because we have not so far been able to deduce their numerical values from a deeper level of understanding.
As supposedly universal and invariable quantities, the fundamental constants constitute an essential pillar for the definition and representation of the SI units. The replacement of man-made artefacts by quantum standards for the represen- tation of the units has led to enormous progress in precision measurements. Pro- vided a sufficient theoretical understanding of the quantum standard is available, its output may be linked to the fundamental constants and that is why many metrology institutes, like the PTB, are actively involved in the high precision determinations of these values. While for practical purposes we would like to trust in the universality and invariability of the constants, as physicists we may be urged to challenge these postulates.
Possible variations in time or space would have far reaching conse- quences and may point the way to a unified theory of the fundamental interac- tions and the establishment of a quantum theory of space-time. Discrepancies with respect to the presently believed interrelations (e. between the value of the Planck constant h from electrical measurements and from the Avogadro project with the silicon single-crystal method) may lead to new insights as well. The study of the fundamental constants and their possible variation is an interdisciplinary and “global” task, i.
involving experts from very different fields of physics all over the world. It is therefore essential to bring scientists from these different fields together in symposia like “Astrophysics, Clocks and Fundamental Constants”. Fortunately, the speakers at that conference agreed to make their contributions available to a wider audience and contributed to this book. Astrophysics provides information about the state of the universe in the remote past and about regions of space far away from us, geophysics teaches us the history of our planet, laboratory experiments (especially with atomic clocks, as frequency and time are the most precisely measurable physical quantities) www.com VI Foreword can furnish a precise snapshot of present temporal derivatives, whereas satellite missions may be used to probe the solar system with precision instruments.
This book presents a collection of excellent reviews on these topics. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Ernst O. Göbel Braunschweig May 2004 www.com Preface Fundamental physical constants play an important role in modern physics. The “old fashioned” celestial mechanics knew only one such constant, the Newtonian constant of gravitation G.
Now the list of basic universal constants is much longer. The speed of light c is a basic constant of relativistic physics and its value is a part of the international system of SI units. It is not even possible to imagine contemporary physics without the fine structure constant α, the Planck constant h̄, the electron mass me , the Rydberg constant Ry, etc. A frequent appearance of the same constant in different branches of physics demonstrates its universality and significance for fundamental physics and numerous applications.
Most of the fundamental constants entered physics in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The early twentieth century was not only a time when a substantial part of the constants were introduced into modern physics with the establishment of quantum physics but that was also the time when the question of the constancy of the “constants” was raised by P. He considered the problem in the context of a comparison of the electromagnetic and gravitational interactions. Dirac’s original idea is now rather out of consid- eration; however, the link between the grand unification of all basic interactions and a variability of their coupling constants has survived and still seems to be important.
A search for variations in the values of fundamental physical constants gives us a rare but excellent example of the strong interplay between new fundamental physics and the development of applied studies such as frequency metrology and space navigation. Our book is formed of invited reviews presented at an international con- ference “Astrophysics, Clocks and Fundamental Constants” organized as the 302nd WE-Heraeus-Seminar which took place in June, 2003, in Bad Honnef in Germany.