Hi Marni, Seems the idea of changing constants is more fashionable than the constants themselves. Anyway, about alpha, "New optical clock promises increased accuracy" - physicsworld.com
"...the improved accuracy of the optical clock has led the researchers at NIST to look at whether the fine-structure constant, which governs how light and electrons interact, has actually been changing over time. By measuring the ratio of clock frequencies for aluminium and mercury the researchers at NIST have concluded that the fine structure constant is not changing to within 1.6 x 10-17 per year. Indeed, they believe they have met the required precision to say that it is not changing at all. "This measurement of the ratio of aluminium and mercury clock frequencies is the most accurate known physical constant," says Rosenband."
And I thought you might be interested in this post from my essay page:
Speaking of alpha and powers of alpha,
"...the electron and its coupling constant alpha generate not only the photon, but also the spectrum of leptons and hadrons. Thus the domain of the fine structure constant alpha seems phenomenologically to be larger than currently believed." p.72 "The Power of Alpha" by M. H. Mac Gregor
(2/3)Muon-electron mass ratio ~ 1/alpha ...from Mac Gregor.
Classical electron radius r(e) = alpha^3 / 4pi(Rydberg constant).
We noted alpha^3, pi, and 1.8 in our essay. 1.8 = 9/5.
((9/5 (alpha^3 x pi^1/3))^-1 - 3/9 = 0.2222220466 ~ 2/9 radians.
From Carl Brannnen's alternative formulation of density matrices...
"The symmetry breaking between the electron and muon families is by a rotation by the mysterious angle delta."
"To get an exact proportionality, to current measurement error, one replaces 2/9 with ..., 0.22222204717(29)."
From Marni Sheppeard, "the phase angle determining the charged lepton mass matrix, which is 0.22222204717 to within experimental precision: notably close to 2/9.... Since phases usually involve factors of pi...."