Effect of Extreme Variations of Fundamental Constants on the Structure of Atoms and Molecules.

J Phys Chem Lett

Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557-0216, United States.

Published: April 2024

The fundamental constants (FCs) of physics are promoted to dynamic quantities in modern theories. So far most of the literature focused on small fractional variations in the values of FCs. In this paper, we investigate the novel regime of extreme but transient variations of FCs. We focus on the speed of light () and show that its variation can dramatically change the electronic structure and chemistry of atoms and molecules. These changes are induced by increased relativistic effects when is reduced from its nominal value. To model these changes, we solve the fully relativistic Dirac equation at different values of . We show that at extreme variations of , the periodic table is truncated, the nominal ground states of atoms can change, water fails to serve as a universal solvent, and the ammonia molecule becomes planar.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00599DOI Listing

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