Editing Fine-structure constant (section)

=== Spatial variation – Australian dipole ===
Researchers from Australia have said they had identified a variation of the fine-structure constant across the observable universe.<ref>
{{cite news
 |last=Johnston |first=H.
 |date=2 September 2010
 |url=https://physicsworld.com/a/changes-spotted-in-fundamental-constant/
 |title=Changes spotted in fundamental constant
 |website=[[Physics World]]
 |access-date=11 September 2010
}}</ref><ref name=Webb-King-etal-2011>
{{cite journal
 |last1=Webb     |first1=J. K.       |last2=King       |first2=J. A.
 |last3=Murphy   |first3=M. T.       |last4=Flambaum   |first4=V. V.
 |last5=Carswell |first5=R. F.       |last6=Bainbridge |first6=M. B.
 |date=31 October 2011
 |title=Indications of a spatial variation of the fine structure constant
 |journal=[[Physical Review Letters]]
 |volume=107  |issue=19  |page=191101
 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.191101  |pmid=22181590
 |arxiv=1008.3907  |bibcode=2011PhRvL.107s1101W
 |hdl=1959.3/207294  |hdl-access=free |s2cid=23236775
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite thesis
 |last=King |first=Julian A.
 |date=1 February 2012
 |title=Searching for variations in the fine-structure constant and the proton-to-electron mass ratio using quasar absorption lines
 |bibcode=2012PhDT........14K  |arxiv=1202.6365
 |hdl=1959.4/50886  |citeseerx=10.1.1.750.8595
}}</ref><ref name=Zyga-2010-10-21>
{{cite news
 |last=Zyga |first=Lisa
 |date=21 October 2010
 |title=Taking a second look at evidence for the 'varying' fine-structure constant
 |website=Physics.org
 |url=https://phys.org/news/2010-10-evidence-varying-fine-structure-constant.html
 |access-date=27 July 2022
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Poles and directions
 |website=Antarctica
 |date=27 October 2020
 |publisher=Australian Government
 |url=https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/geography-and-geology/geography/poles-and-directions/
 |access-date=26 July 2022
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite journal
 |last1=Wilczynska |first1=Michael R. |last2=Webb |first2=John K.
 |last3=Bainbridge |first3=Matthew |last4=Barrow |first4=John D.
 |last5=Bosman |first5=Sarah E. I. |last6=Carswell |first6=Robert F.
 |last7=Dąbrowski |first7=Mariusz P. |last8=Dumont |first8=Vincent
 |last9=Lee |first9=Chung-Chi |last10=Leite |first10=Ana Catarina
 |last11=Leszczyńska |first11=Katarzyna |last12=Liske |first12=Jochen
 |last13=Marosek |first13=Konrad |last14=Martins |first14=Carlos J. A. P.
 |last15=Milaković |first15=Dinko |last16=Molaro |first16=Paolo
 |last17=Pasquini |first17=Luca
 |display-authors=6
 |date=1 April 2020
 |title=Four direct measurements of the fine-structure constant 13 billion years ago
 |journal=[[Science Advances]]
 |volume=6 |issue=17 |page=eaay9672
 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aay9672 |pmid=32917582
 |pmc=7182409 |arxiv=2003.07627 |bibcode=2020SciA....6.9672W
}}</ref>

These results have not been replicated by other researchers.  In September and October&nbsp;2010, after released research by Webb ''et al.'', physicists [[Chad Orzel|C. Orzel]] and [[Sean M. Carroll|S.M. Carroll]] separately suggested various approaches of how Webb's observations may be wrong. Orzel argues<ref>
{{cite web
 |first=C. |last=Orzel |author-link=Chad Orzel
 |date=14 October 2010
 |title=Why I'm Skeptical about the changing fine-structure constant
 |url=http://scienceblogs.com/principles/2010/09/14/httpksjtrackermitedu20100907e/
 |website=ScienceBlogs.com
}}</ref>
that the study may contain wrong data due to subtle differences in the two telescopes.<ref>
{{cite web
 |first=S. M. |last=Carroll |author-link=Sean M. Carroll
 |date=18 October 2010
 |title=The fine structure constant is probably constant
 |url=http://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2010/10/18/the-fine-structure-constant-is-probably-constant/
}}</ref>
Carroll takes an altogether different approach: he looks at the fine-structure constant as a scalar field and claims that if the telescopes are correct and the fine-structure constant varies smoothly over the universe, then the scalar field must have a very small mass. However, previous research has shown that the mass is not likely to be extremely small. Both of these scientists' early criticisms point to the fact that different techniques are needed to confirm or contradict the results, a conclusion Webb, ''et al''., previously stated in their study.<ref name=Zyga-2010-10-21/>

Other research finds no meaningful variation in the fine structure constant.<ref>
{{cite journal
 |last1=Milaković |first1=Dinko          |last2=Lee      |first2=Chung-Chi
 |last3=Carswell  |first3=Robert F.      |last4=Webb     |first4=John K.
 |last5=Molaro    |first5=Paolo          |last6=Pasquini |first6=Luca
 |date=5 March 2021
 |title=A new era of fine structure constant measurements at high redshift
 |journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]]
 |volume=500 |pages=1–21
 |doi=10.1093/mnras/staa3217 |doi-access=free |arxiv=2008.10619
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite journal
 | first1=Vitor | last1=da&nbsp;Fonseca | last2=Barreiro | first2=Tiago
 | last3=Nunes | first3=Nelson J. | last4=Cristiani | first4=Stefano
 | last5=Cupani | first5=Guido | last6=D'Odorico | first6=Valentina
 | first7=Ricardo | last7=Génova Santos | last8=Leite | first8=Ana C. O.
 | last9=Marques | first9=Catarina M. J. | last10=Martins | first10=Carlos J. A. P.
 | last11=Milaković | first11=Dinko | last12=Molaro | first12=Paolo
 | last13=Murphy | first13=Michael T. | last14=Schmidt | first14=Tobias M.
 | last15=Abreu | first15=Manuel | last16=Adibekyan | first16=Vardan
 | last17=Cabral | first17=Alexandre | first18=Paolo  | last18=di&nbsp;Marcantonio
 | last19=González Hernández | first19=Jonay I. | last20=Palle | first20=Enric
 | last21=Pepe | first21=Francesco A. | last22=Rebolo | first22=Rafael
 | last23=Santos | first23=Nuno C. | last24=Sousa | first24=Sérgio G.
 | last25=Sozzetti | first25=Alessandro | first26=Alejandro | last26=Suárez Mascareño
 | first27=Maria-Rosa | last27=Zapatero Osorio
 | display-authors=6
 | year=2022
 | title=Fundamental physics with ESPRESSO: Constraining a simple parametrisation for varying α
 | journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics | volume=666 | pages=A57 | doi=10.1051/0004-6361/202243795 | arxiv=2204.02930 | bibcode=2022A&A...666A..57D | s2cid=247996839
}}</ref>