If matter falls down, does antimatter fall up? - Chloé Malbrunot

翻译人员: Yixiong Zhu 校对人员: Cissy Yun

"Hey, another atom. I'm hydrogen, nice to meet you.

“嗨，那个原子！我是氢原子，很高兴认识你。

How are you feeling about the jump?"

你对一会儿跳伞感觉如何？“

"Hi there, I'm antihydrogen, your antiatom,

”你好啊，我是反氢原子，你的反原子，

and to be honest, I'm feeling kind of neutral.

说实话，我感觉不来电

My positron and antiproton balance out, just like your electron and proton, right?"

我的正电子和反质子的电荷相等，就像你的电子和质子相等一样，是吧？”

"Hey, yeah! You look just like me, but different somehow."

“是啊！你看起来跟我一样，但又有点不一样。”

"Whoa, be careful! If we get too close, we'll disappear in a spark of energy.

“喂，小心啊！如果我们靠得太近，我们会消失成一股能量的。”

I'd like to stay in one piece."

我还是想多活一会儿。”

"Oh wow, sorry."

“哦，对不起。”

"It's okay. I was just thinking,

“没关系。我只是想，

it's kind of weird for us to be

我们在CERN（欧洲核子研究组织）上空跳伞前，

chatting like this before our jump above CERN."

这么聊天有点奇怪。“

"Why's that?"

”为什么呢？“

"Well, for starters, how do we know we'll both fall?"

”嗯，比如说，我们怎么知道我们会坠落？“

"Of course we'll fall. It's gravity,

”我们当然会坠落，重力导致的啊，

you know, the force of attraction between masses.

质量之间相互吸引的力量。

I even know how fast we should fall.

我还知道我们坠落得会有多块呢，

Galileo showed in that tower experiment

伽利略在那个塔上的实验中证明，

that all falling objects accelerate at the same rate, regardless of mass."

所有坠落的物体都有同样的加速度，与质量大小无关。”

"That's for bigger objects.

“那是大的物体。

It's a different story for small particles like us.

对于我们小的粒子而言，情况是不同的。

Our mass is so tiny that the gravitational force we experience is miniscule,

我们的质量太小了，我们感受的引力也特别小，

and if the particles are charged, like my antiproton or your proton,

如果粒子是带电的，像你的反质子和我的质子，

then it becomes impossible to detect

那重力就无法检测，

compared to the much greater electromagnetic force acting on them."

因为电荷上的电磁力太强了。”

"But that's only for charged particles. You and I are both neutral.

“但只有带电粒子会那样。我们都是不带电的。

Our charges balance out, so the electromagnetic force is small

我们的正负电荷相等，所以电磁力很小，

and the gravitational force should be detectable.

重力应该可以被检测到。

I know mine's been measured."

我知道我的重力被测量到过。”

"Because you're everywhere, but I'm kind of hard to find."

“但你到处都是啊，我比较难找。”

"Why is that, anyway?

“为什么会这样呢？

Shouldn't there have been an equal amount

大爆炸以来，物质和反物质的数量

of matter and antimatter created in the Big Bang?"

难道不应该相等么？”

"You'd think so, but then all of those particles

“大家都这么想，但这些粒子相互之间

would have annihilated each other into energy, remember?

都湮灭成了能量，还记得么？

And the Universe is obviously full of matter.

现在的宇宙显然满是物质。

No one knows why there is more matter than antimatter,

没人知道为什么物质比反物质多，

which is why scientists are so interested in studying me."

这也是为什么科学家特别喜欢研究我。”

"So where do they find you anyway?"

“那他们是从哪儿找到你的？”

"Actually, I was made in that lab down there.

“事实上，我是在下面的实验室里造出来的。

They needed an accelerator to make my antiproton because it's so heavy,

他们得用加速器来制造我的反质子，因为反质子质量非常大，

just as heavy as your proton.

跟你的质子一边大。

Getting my positron was easier.

正电子比较容易，

It's much lighter, like your electron, and there are materials

质量小，跟你的电子一样，有的原子

that naturally decay by emitting one.

在自然衰变中就会放出来些。

Then they just had to put the two together and they got me.

他们把两个放到一起，就成了我。

But it's only recently

但直到最近

that they've been able to keep me

科学家才能让我活得足够长，

around long enough to study my properties."

来研究我的特性。”

"And now they've sent you on this jump with me. Hey, wait a minute."

“那现在他们让你来跟我进行这个跳伞实验。等等...”

"That's right. We're reenacting Galileo's experiment,

“对的，我们在重演伽利略的实验，

but with matter and antimatter instead of two objects made of matter."

只不过是用物质和反物质，而不是两个物质。”

"So what's going to happen?

“那会发生什么呢？

Are you going to fall upwards or something?"

你是会上落还是什么？“

"Only one way to find out!"

”只有试过才能知道！“