Comment on Sensitivity Coefficients to Variation of Fundamental Constants

Abstract

AbstractAtoms and molecules can serve as sensitive probes of a possible variation of the fine structure constant α and electron‐to‐proton mass ratio μ. Two types of sensitivity coefficients are often used to quantify and compare the sensitivity of different species to the variation of fundamental constants. The dimensionless coefficients K are related to the fractional sensitivity, while dimensional factors q are related to the absolute sensitivity. Here, several common errors and misconceptions regarding these coefficients that frequently appear in the literature are discussed.