An Alternative View of the Fine Structure Constant and its Drift: Bringing the Flux Quanta into the Definition

The usual definition of the fine structure constant (alpha) is written as e^2/(4 pi epsilon0 hcross c) . In actual fact the constant could be represented in many ways depending on which fundamental constants are chosen. Because alpha is an electromagnetic constant, I choose to represent it in terms of only electromagnetic constants, such as the quantum of electric charge, the quantum of magnetic flux, and the permittivity and permeability of free space. In the light of this alternative definition, I discuss recent conjecture that the possible implied drift in the alpha could be due to the drift in the speed of light, or other dimensional constants. I show that the drift in alpha would manifest due to a differential change in the ratio of electric and magnetic quanta of energy. While the change in dimensional constants, c and hcross, depend on a common mode change. The drift could be either due to quantum or classical effects. This work shows that a changing fine structure constant does not directly imply that either c or hcross will also drift. If conservation of electromagnetic energy is invoked, I show that alpha will drift if magnetic energy is converted to electrical energy, or vice versa, with no corresponding drift in hcross*c. Conversely, if the conservation of electromagnetic energy is violated, one would expect a drift in hc, which would cause the energy of the quantum vacuum to drift, causing a drift of the Casimir Force.