March 27, 2012 | Peter J. Mohr†, Barry N. Taylor‡, and David B. Newell§
This paper presents the 2010 set of recommended values for fundamental physical constants and conversion factors, as determined by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA). The 2010 values are based on a least-squares adjustment of over 160 input data items, resulting in 83 adjusted constants with 77 degrees of freedom. The adjustment incorporates data from 2007 to 2010, focusing on constants such as the fine-structure constant ($\alpha$), Planck constant ($h$), molar gas constant ($R$), Newtonian constant of gravitation ($G$), Rydberg constant ($R_{\infty}$), and proton rms charge radius ($r_{\mathrm{p}}$). Key changes include an improved value for $\alpha$ with a reduced uncertainty, a new value for $h$ based on highly enriched silicon, and updated values for $R$, $G$, $R_{\infty}$, and $r_{\mathrm{p}}$. The paper also discusses the methodology, input data, and detailed analysis, providing tables of the recommended values and their covariances. The 2010 values replace the 2006 CODATA values and are available online at physics.nist.gov/constants.This paper presents the 2010 set of recommended values for fundamental physical constants and conversion factors, as determined by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA). The 2010 values are based on a least-squares adjustment of over 160 input data items, resulting in 83 adjusted constants with 77 degrees of freedom. The adjustment incorporates data from 2007 to 2010, focusing on constants such as the fine-structure constant ($\alpha$), Planck constant ($h$), molar gas constant ($R$), Newtonian constant of gravitation ($G$), Rydberg constant ($R_{\infty}$), and proton rms charge radius ($r_{\mathrm{p}}$). Key changes include an improved value for $\alpha$ with a reduced uncertainty, a new value for $h$ based on highly enriched silicon, and updated values for $R$, $G$, $R_{\infty}$, and $r_{\mathrm{p}}$. The paper also discusses the methodology, input data, and detailed analysis, providing tables of the recommended values and their covariances. The 2010 values replace the 2006 CODATA values and are available online at physics.nist.gov/constants.