Fine Stucture Constant Variability Related To Extra Dimenions?

[maddog]

I put this out there as I am very unsure about such a claim (especially when I read it from an article in magazine - SciAm).

 

In this special issue of SciAm Vol 21, Issue 1 on Time there is an article pg 70, by John D. Barrow and John K. Webb,

"Inconstant Stars".

 

In this article by studying the spectra from Quasars, they are seeing a variability in the fine structure constant. Originally

their data was taken from the Keck telescope at Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Their data showed a smaller value of "alpha"

at high redshift. Because of how suspicious this was these two requested time with the VLT (Very Large Telescope)

operated by European Southern Observatory. Paradoxically, their new results were in the opposite direction. VLT data

showed a larger Alpha with higher redshift. The error we are speaking of in the variance of Alpha is on the order of

10e-6. Still why the change in sign. Also to note these two datasets were pointing at different points in the sky. So

this is like there is some Universal direction difference.

 

I suspect the data, thinking there must be some corruption somehow.

 

So either there is a flaw in the data or something, there is some variability of the fine structure constant with time

and or there is some dependency on direction. All which sound suspicious.

 

What I really didn't understand though was how this pointed to or implied that "Extra Dimensions" was the culprit.

 

Now SciAm is not like Popular Mechanics, though it is not as reputable say as Science or Nature, etc.

 

For further reading their tech papers are listed at the end of the article. I may post them here people are interested.

 

I would like to hear anyone's thoughts on the matter. (Yea or Nay). :warped:

 

maddog