Among all the constants of nature , there is one that is severely underappreciated . It ’s fuck as thefine social structure constantand it underpin the strength of electromagnetic interaction . Its economic value is 1/137.03599913 and we do n’t cognize why . possibly , it is not really perpetual , a surmisal that has been essay time and time again . The latest endeavor is by using stars .

The all right structure constant underpins so much . If the number was different , stars might not combust the same and life might not evolve . A 4 percent variation would contain star from making carbon . It is the reason why the sky is disconsolate andwhy toast descend on the buttered side . But we do n’t make love where it comes from and , without that knowledge , if it truly stays incessant .

Researchers have now studied the lightness spectrum of 17 solar twins , stars with atmospheric prop just like the Sun . Astronomers have intercourse how to read the chemical composition of a star by measuring engrossment communication channel in its light . dissimilar chemical substance deflect some starlight at specific wavelength , create such crease . And those wavelengths depend on the fine structure constant . By picking ace like the Sun , it is possible to have a more exact measuring .

The squad was capable to estimate that the all right social organization unvarying does n’t change by more than 50 parts per billion in each star within 50 parsecs from Earth . The combined results tell us that the o.k. structure constant does n’t change by more than 12 parts per billion .

“ We ’ve never try electromagnetics outside our Earth so precisely before . It ’s like testing whether the distance from Melbourne to Sydney changed by a few centimeter or so , ” lead author Professor Michael Murphy from Swinburne University of Technology said in astatement . “ If we ’d take in electromagnetics variety between mavin , it would break the law of nature as we currently infer them . We ’d need entirely new ideas to explain it . ”

The defunct Arecibo scope was previously used to screen the changes of the constant over the last 3 billion yr and it found that it had changed byno more than 1.3 parts per million . While focused on a humble region , this work was 100 metre more precise .

“ Unfortunately , our new measurements did n’t stop our favourite theory . But the lead we ’ve studied are all relatively nearby , only up to 160 light year off . We ’ve recently identified unexampled solar similitude much further off , about halfway to the centre of our Milky Way galaxy , ” Professor Murphy added . “ If we can observe these much more distant Suns with the largest opthalmic telescopes , maybe we ’ll find the keys to the Universe . ”

The workplace was published in the journalScience .