Effect of alpha variation on the vibrational spectrum of Sr_2

Abstract

We consider the effect of $\alpha$ variation on the vibrational spectrum of Sr$_2$ in the context of a planned experiment to test the stability of $\mu\equiv m_e/m_p$ using optically trapped Sr$_2$ molecules [Zelevinsky et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 100}, 043201; Kotochigova et al., Phys. Rev. A {\bf 79}, 012504]. We find the prospective experiment to be 3 to 4 times less sensitive to fractional variation in $\alpha$ as it is to fractional variation in $\mu$. Depending on the precision ultimately achieved by the experiment, this result may give justification for the neglect of $\alpha$ variation or, alternatively, may call for its explicit consideration in the interpretation of experimental results.