Fine-Structure Constant

According to a recent study performed by Dr. Michael Murphy of Cambridge University, the value of the fine-structure constant alpha - the constant that governs the strength of the electromagnetic interaction - may have changed over time. Using the Keck telescopes in Hawaii, Murphy observed the spectra of distant quasars, which would also be affected by a changing alpha, and found that alpha may have changed by a factor of about one part in two hundred thousand during the last 10 billion years. Although many other studies have suggested the that alpha has remained constant throughout the history of the Universe, Murphy's study certainly has the possibility of being a groundbreaking one.