How universal are the laws of physics?

[plum]

Is there irrefutable evidence that the laws as we know them apply to all the galaxies in the observable universe with a fine tuned universal degree of accuracy throughout, or is it more likely that they vary from one galaxy (or galactic cluster) to another? Do you have any links that explain this?

 

[russ_watters]

A great deal can be confirmed from the fact that the universe looks pretty much the same regardless of where we look (within the framework of our theories). But since we can't see everything there is to see, the principle of relativity must be a postulate, no matter how rock-solid the evidence is.

 

[Mk]

Here's two links for you:
fine structure constant at Wikipedia, and the http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=1&articleID=0005BFE6-2965-128A-A96583414B7F0000

This is one of those big questions in physics we don't know.

 

[Loren Booda]

Some say that in an infinite universe there are an infinite number of (eventually repeating) configurations, including those of spacetime constraints and quantum numbers - see Max Tegmark, Scientific American 288:5:40-51, May 2003. I would think for this repetition not to occur, at least the microverse must be infinitely more complex than the macroverse.

 

[plum]

But how do you know that the infinite universe doesn't have universal laws? What is the law that says all laws must be change? Since we don't yet have evidence of fluctuations, we don't know.

 

[scott1]

Well according to the big bang theory the universe was about size basketball(or smaller) so the laws of physics would of had of been universial then(What where laws of physics after short time after the big bang) and what the universe was like that then it would probally be very universial.