The binding force between electrons and protons is also called "fine structure constant". Some scientists have long suspected that the constant may have been changing from ancient times to the present, adjusting for life. Because 65.438 billion years ago, this combination was 200,000 times weaker than today.
However, the general theory of relativity, which uses the geometric properties of time and space to describe the phenomenon of gravity, does not allow the "fine structure constant" to change with time-all geometric gravity theories, including the general theory of relativity, are based on the equivalence principle, that is, any non-gravity experiment done in the local reference system of free fall in the gravitational field is required to have exactly the same result, regardless of the time and place of the experiment. This is why scientists still hold different views on the obvious change of "fine structure constant"
Recently, John Webb, a physicist at the University of New South Wales, and his colleagues pointed out in a paper that the "fine structure constant" is indeed changing. They observed more than 65,438+000 quasars using the Keck telescope in Mauna Kea, Hawaii and the very large telescope facing south in Chile. Choosing quasars has the same characteristics: extremely far away, extremely bright, and there is a massive black hole in the inner center to provide energy.
On the way to the earth, the light of quasars will pass through the atoms in the gas cloud and be absorbed by them. If there is any change in the "fine structure constant", atoms at different distances in the gas cloud will absorb light with slightly different wavelengths. After synthesizing the spectral data obtained by two telescopes in opposite directions, scientists found the spatial dependence of the "fine structure constant": in one direction (north), it will weaken slightly with time; At the same time, it is slightly stronger in the other direction (south).
The direct impact of this research is that it violates the conventional understanding that the laws of physics are "universally applicable" in the universe, and the general theory of relativity is bound to be revised because its core, the principle of equivalence, has been overthrown. Einstein once built a finite model of the universe, and its breaking means that the universe may be much bigger than what we want at present, even without limits.
Max Tegmark, a cosmologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, commented that if this result is recognized, it will be a sensation. But he personally expressed doubts, because this discovery, which touches the most fundamental physics, often needs more evidence to enrich it.
"Things are impermanent", the truth contained in this proverb, may be the real "universal". Any constant is a constant in the system. When the system spans the whole universe, the constant becomes a literal "constant" number. Is there such a constant? Although Einstein's answer is yes, many people, including Weber, have questioned it for many years, but they have never obtained such strong evidence. No matter how important the "fine structure constant" is to general relativity and quantum electrodynamics, we can't turn a blind eye to this observation, even if it means that modern physics is turned upside down.