Abstract
We will discuss the physical ramifications, and describe an experiment with three high-precision clocks flying to within six solar radii of the sun for a test of a possible variation of the fine structure constant α. Measurement of the drift in ratios between the frequencies generated by each clock will probe for the variation of α. Since the response of each element to a change in α has a specific signature, this measurement will provide specific and unambiguous results. The sensitivity of this experiment to a changing α exceeds the sensitivity of recent tests based on observational astronomy, as well the geophysical bounds on α variations. Thus, the experiment will provide a compelling test of the standard model and the alternative theories.
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Maleki, L., Prestage, J. (2004). Search for New Physics with Atomic Clocks. In: Karshenboim, S.G., Peik, E. (eds) Astrophysics, Clocks and Fundamental Constants. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 648. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-40991-5_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-40991-5_20
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