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Nature 442, 516-517 (3 August 2006) | doi:10.1038/442516b; Published online 2 August 2006

Particle physics: A finer constant

Andrzej Czarnecki1

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For the first time in a decade, the precision of the fine-structure constant — central to understanding the electromagnetic force — has improved. But even greater accuracy is required to test new physics.

How does the colour of a rose relate to the hardness of oak? To physicists, both result from electromagnetism, an interaction whose strength is encoded in one pure number — the fine-structure constant.

  1. Andrzej Czarnecki is in the Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J1, Canada, and the Tri-University Meson Facility (TRIUMF), Vancouver, Canada.
    Email: czar@phys.ualberta.ca

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