This site is supported by donations to The OEIS Foundation.

Fine-structure constant

From OeisWiki
(Redirected from Fine structure constant)
Jump to: navigation, search

In physics, the fine-structure constant (usually denoted , the Greek letter alpha) is a fundamental physical constant, namely the electromagnetic coupling constant (characterizing the strength of the electromagnetic interaction.) The numerical value of is the same in all systems of units, because is a dimensionless quantity. Arnold Sommerfeld introduced the fine-structure constant in 1916.

Definition

Three equivalent definitions of in terms of other fundamental physical constants are

where

The 2014 CODATA recommended value for α is:

Fine structure constant

The current estimate of the fine-structure constant is

(A003673).

Reciprocal of the fine structure constant

The current estimate of reciprocal of the fine-structure constant is

(A005600)

with continued fraction

(A082726).

See also

  • A003673 Current estimate of decimal expansion of fine-structure constant alpha.
  • A005600 Current estimate of decimal expansion of reciprocal of fine-structure constant alpha.
  • A082726 Continued fraction expansion of current estimate for reciprocal of fine-structure constant alpha.

Notes


External links