本集內(nèi)容

Changing how we view the Universe 大型強(qiáng)子對撞機(jī)實驗結(jié)果或改變宇宙認(rèn)知

學(xué)習(xí)要點(diǎn)

有關(guān) “scientific discovery（科學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)）” 的詞匯

邊看邊答

How long does the particle called 'a beauty quark' exist for?

文字稿

The Large Hadron Collider was built to discover brand new particles – and transform our understanding of physics.

建造大型強(qiáng)子對撞機(jī)是為了探索全新的粒子，并改變我們對物理學(xué)的認(rèn)知。

By crashing particles together harder than they'd been smashed before – the researchers there may have done just that.

通過以前所未有的強(qiáng)度撞擊粒子，研究人員們可能實現(xiàn)了這一初衷。

They've observed subatomic particles behaving in a way that can’t be explained by the current theory of physics.

研究人員們觀察到，次原子粒子的反應(yīng)方式無法用現(xiàn)有的物理學(xué)理論來解釋。

The scientists may have made one of the biggest discoveries in physics.

科學(xué)家們可能已經(jīng)取得了物理學(xué)界最重大的發(fā)現(xiàn)之一。

Dr Mitesh Patel, Imperial College
We were literally shaking. We, you know, were shaking like a leaf the first time we looked at these results because, if it does turn out to be real, it could really have profound consequences for physics in general.

米特什·帕特爾博士     英國帝國理工學(xué)院
“我們當(dāng)時真的在發(fā)抖。當(dāng)我們第一次看到實驗結(jié)果時，激動得渾身發(fā)抖，因為如果這個發(fā)現(xiàn)被證實，就可能對物理學(xué)產(chǎn)生深遠(yuǎn)的影響。”

The team have been creating a particle called 'a beauty quark'. It exists for only a fragment of a second, and then decays into two other particles – what it should do in equal numbers – but it doesn't, possibly because a mystery force is interrupting the process.

這個研究團(tuán)隊正在制造一種名叫 “美夸克”（又稱為 “底夸克”）的粒子。它只存在遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不到一秒，就衰變成另外兩種粒子，兩種粒子的數(shù)量本應(yīng)相等，但結(jié)果并非如此，這可能是因為一種神秘的力量阻斷了這個過程。

Physicists can explain the world around us through the action of four fundamental forces – electricity, gravity and two nuclear forces.

物理學(xué)家可以通過四種基本力的作用來解釋我們身邊的世界，即電（磁）力、引力和兩種核力。

But in recent times, these forces haven't been able to explain a few things, such as the movement of galaxies, or indeed why the Universe exists at all.

然而，近來，這四種基本力已無法解釋一些現(xiàn)象，比如星系的運(yùn)動，甚至是宇宙存在的根本原因。

But this new finding is creating a lot of excitement because it contains hints that there might be a fifth force of nature that’s completely new to science.

這一新發(fā)現(xiàn)非常振奮人心，因為有跡象表明：可能存在第五種科學(xué)界尚未知曉的自然力。

If there is a fifth force, it could answer a lot of questions currently baffling astronomers.

如果第五種力確實存在，那它就可能解答目前困擾天文學(xué)家的諸多問題。

Professor Chris Parkes, CERN
There are these big questions in physics that we don't have the answers to. And the hope would be, as the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) continues to make discoveries, maybe we could shed some light on those big questions of physics.

克里斯·帕克斯教授     歐洲核子研究組織（CERN）
“物理學(xué)中有一些我們無法回答的重大問題。希望隨著大型強(qiáng)子對撞機(jī)不斷取得發(fā)現(xiàn)，或許我們可以進(jìn)一步理解這些重大的物理學(xué)問題。”

These very early results aren't definitive yet – more data is needed – but they are generating a lot of excitement about the prospect of a giant leap forward in our understanding of the Universe.

僅憑這些非常早期的實驗結(jié)果，還不能完全證實該發(fā)現(xiàn)，仍需要更多的數(shù)據(jù)，但試驗結(jié)果振奮人心，讓人們期待能取得對宇宙認(rèn)知的巨大飛躍。

詞匯

profound consequences 深遠(yuǎn)的影響

hints 跡象，暗示

baffling 困擾，難住

shed some light on 對…有所啟示，有助于理解…

giant leap forward 巨大的飛躍

問題答案

It exists for only a fragment of a second.