Abstract
Of all the fundamental constants none has drawn more interest, seemed more intriguing, and excited more speculation than the fine-structure constant α which is defined as the square of the fundamental charge e divided by Planck’s constant ħ and by the speed of light c. This dimensionless coupling constant entered physics in the transition from classical to quantum mechanics. Thus α2 equals the ratio of the unit of atomic energy to the electron rest mass; it is also the ratio of the classical electron radius r e = e 2/m e c 2 to the Bohr radius.
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Bekenstein, J.D. (1986). The Fine-Structure Constant: From Eddington’s Time to Our Own. In: Ullmann-Margalit, E. (eds) The Prism of Science. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 95. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4566-1_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4566-1_17
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