String theory and the hidden structures of the universe - Clifford Johnson

弦理论与宇宙的隐藏结构 - Clifford Johnson

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

翻译人员: Minji Seo 校对人员: Dong Mao

So I work on trying to understand

我的工作是去了解

how the universe works at the very basic level,

宇宙运作的基本原理

the most basic level we can find.

我们可以达到的最基本的层面

So, when you try in your everyday life

当你在日常生活中

to try and work out how something works,

想试去了解某样东西是如何运作的

what you're actually doing is you're looking for

你实际上会去探索的是

what I call hidden structures.

我称之为“隐藏结构”的东西

For example, you take something like your cell phone,

如果我们用你的手机作为例子

your smart phone,

你的智能手机

it's a complicated object,

那是一个复杂的东西

and you might wonder how it works.

而你也许会好奇它如何运作

Well, what you can do is go in

你可以做的是

and actually take it apart.

把它拆开

You'll void the warranty, but that's OK.

当然这会让保修失效 但不是个大问题

And you'll go in and what you'll find

而你会进一步发现

is that it's made of tiny little electronic components.

它是由许多小型电子元件组成

And those electronic components are actually moving around

而这些电子元件实际上事由

a certain kind of particle that we know

一种我们熟知的粒子而驱动

that's called the electron,

它做电子

and that's where the name "electronics" comes from.

所以我们叫它“电器”

So if you know the actual rules

如果你知道

of how to put those things together,

这些东西是如何组成的

you can actually make your smart phone

你就可以制作你自己的智能手机

or you could make various other electronic devices as well.

甚至是其它电子产品

So, there are people like myself

世界上有不少像我这样

who, actually for a living, try and do this sort of thing

以此为业的人

not just for, say, a cell phone or its components,

但不仅仅局限于手机或其它的元件

but asking what, say, your hand is made of,

而是想了解——比方说你的手、、

or the chair you're sitting in,

或是所坐的椅子

or the planet Earth,

或是地球

the sun,

太阳

the stars,

the entire universe.

星星

或是整个宇宙的组成

And so, using various kinds of instruments

因此 通过利用不同的仪器

and observations

还有观测方法

and experiments,

以及实验

we've been able to probe deeper and deeper over the years,

经年累月下来 我们已经可以探测得更为深入

and we now know that the matter that we're made of

而我们现在知道

and that we see around us

组成我们以及围绕着我们的物质

is actually made of tiny little elementary particles.

实际上是由极微小的基本粒子组成的

And elementary particles interact with each other

而基本粒子之间会用自然界中

via the forces of nature,

基本的作用力相互作用

but we've also discovered

但我们同时也发现

that those forces of nature themselves actually operate

这些自然的作用力本身

by exchanging elementary particles as well.

竟然也是由交换离子来运作的

They're actually particles of force that are exchanged

实际上就是物质的粒子在交换

by the particles of matter.

力的粒子

And you may have heard this year

而你今年可能有听过

that there was big news,

有一个大新闻

a major announcement in this story,

这领域的一件大事

the Large Hadron Collider, the LHC,

就是大型强子对撞机 或称LHC

a huge experiment in Europe,

在一个欧洲的大型实验中

has actually uncovered a Higgs boson,

发现了希格斯玻色子

and that particle's job is to interact

而这个粒子的工作是

with the various elementary particles

与不同基本粒子相互作用

and give them the masses that we observe.

让他们具有我们可以观测到的质量

So, this exciting picture is analogous

这幅令人振奋的图像就像是

to the one I showed you for the cell phone.

我先前给你看的关于手机的那幅

We have the components

我们有了这些元件

and we have the rules of particle theory,

而我们有粒子理论的基本规则

as it's called,

就像这理论的名称一样

by which these all operate

这些粒子组成

and give rise to the various things.

各式各样的东西 并让它运作

Now, we actually think that we've only just

现在 我们觉得我们

scratched the surface of finding this quantum world,

只沾了量子世界的边而已

the hidden structure of our world.

就是我们宇宙中 隐藏的结构

Let me give you three examples

让我来给你们三个例子

of the puzzles we're still working on.

关于我们还在努力想解开的谜团

So, what I did is I gathered the particles up

我所做的是把各种粒子

into the patterns that they tend to form,

凑成它们倾向形成的模式

but we don't know where those patterns come from.

但我们不知道这些模式是怎么来的

We know how to describe the particles,

我们知道怎样描述粒子

but we don't know where the patterns come from.

但是我们并不知道模式是从哪里来的

When you see patterns in science,

当你在科学中看到各种模式

you look for a hidden structure,

你会去找隐藏结构

so that's one of the things.

这是其中一件事

Also, we now know that there's a huge amount

我们知道宇宙中有大量物质

more matter out there

这些物质远比

than just the things that I was just talking about.

我前面所说的各种物质都还多

That stuff is called dark matter.

它们叫做暗物质

We don't know what it is,

我们不知道它是什么

and we'd like to be able to get it

而我们希望可以得到它

and experiment with it and figure out what it is.

并做实验来了解它到底是什么

And then, the other thing I'd like to talk about

接着 另一样我想谈的事情

is the fact that the force of gravity,

是重力的本质

perhaps the most familiar force we know,

这可能是我们最熟悉的作用力

when you get down to the quantum level,

当你进入到量子的世界

it actually doesn't operate

重力并不会

according to those rules of particle theory.

像粒子理论那般运作

So, given that gravity is actually about the shape

所以 假设重力就像是 爱因斯坦所教导我们的那样

of space and time as Einstein taught us,

和空间与时间的形状有关

we, in working out what the quantum story of gravity is,

我们想探索量子世界中的重力 我们称为量子重力

which we call quantum gravity,

在探索的过程中

we hope to get to groups of questions like,

我们想要了解一些问题 比如说：

are there particles of space and time itself

时间和空间本身有粒子吗？

and how do they fit together?

又他们如何互相配合？

What are the rules?

运作规则是什么？

So, this leads us to things

这些问题引导我们

like studying where it all began,

去了解 137 亿年前

13.7 billion years ago,

这些东西是怎么开始的

the Big Bang.

也就是大爆炸理论

We know matter and energy

在我们了解这世界的生成后

as we understand it was created,

我们会了解物质和能量

but also, space and time itself.

同时也了解空间和时间

So those are the sorts of things

所以这些是一部份

we study in this quest.

这领域想研究的东西

Also, we have things that are around us today,

另外 我们知道有些东西的存在，

such as black holes,

像是黑洞

which are very important clues.

这是很重要的线索

They're actually holes in space

它们实际上是空间中

that we'd like to understand.

我们想要了解的孔洞

Also, the newly discovered dark energy,

同样地 新发现的暗能量

which is the tendency of space

它有空间的倾向

all through the universe to accelerate its expansion.

靠着宇宙加速自己的膨胀

So scientists are working on these kinds of things,

所以科学家们 在这些方向上做努力

trying to understand what we think is now the case

试着了解 那些隐藏结构

that there's not just hidden structures

我们认为它可能不只是 物质与能量

of matter and energy,

的隐藏结构

but also space and time.

它同时也是空间与时间的 隐藏结构

So the question is, what are the rules?

因此问题是：“规律是什么？”

And there are many approaches to this,

有许多理论来解释它

and one of them is one you may have heard of,

其中一种你们可能有听过的

called string theory.

叫做弦理论

And so it is one of many approaches

它是其中一种理论

and we don't know if it's right yet,

但我们还不知道它是不是对的

we're not finished developing the theory,

我们还没完全发展这个理论

but it's given us some really exciting, tantalizing hints.

但它已经给出许多 令人兴奋且着迷的线索

I'd like to tell you about a few of them.

我想和你们谈谈它

So, one of them is simply that you take away

其中一点就是摒弃

the idea of looking for a tiny quantum particle,

找寻小量子的想法

you look instead for an extended object,

相对地你找寻一种延伸的对象

a string, which can vibrate.

就是弦 它可以振动

And it actually gives you some exciting opportunities

这实际上这是一个 很令人激动的契机，

because, for example, it would say

因为 比如说

if we've missed that hidden structure

如果我们因为观察不够仔细

by not looking closely enough,

而看不到隐藏结构

we wouldn't realize that many different kinds of particles

我们就没办法了解各种不一样的粒子

are just different vibrations of the same string,

其实就是同一个弦上 不同的振动而已

which is a really exciting possibility

这是很有趣的可能性

and a huge simplification.

同时也是理论的一大简化

So that's one of the ideas.

所以这是其中一个想法

The other thing that's really exciting about string theory

弦论另外很有趣一点是

is that one of those particles it describes

其中一种粒子所描述的

is actually the missing quantum of gravity

竟然就是我们 一直试着想了解

that we have been trying to understand.

却找不到的量子重力

And then the other thing is that strings actually,

另外就是， 弦并没有只在

instead of one wanting just to move in the dimensions,

几个维度中运动

the three space dimensions that we are familiar with,

像是我们熟知的三维空间

actually seem to want to move in higher dimensions.

它实际上在高维度里移动

So we have this idea, then,

所以我们有这种想法 那么

what would it mean for our world,

如果这和我们的世界有任何关连

if this were anything to do with our world,

它代表什么？

and we don't know that yet?

又我们还不知道什么？

Here's a way that our world would arise from that.

这是我们的世界从它推导出来的一种方法

You would have our world,

你可以推导出我们的世界

and then one of the hidden structures

其中一个隐藏结构

would be hidden chunks in space time

就是一群时间空间的隐藏结构

that are not visible, those extra dimensions.

它看不见 就是那些多出三维的维度

And then the various particles that we see in the world

那些我们所见到 不同的粒子

would come from being vibrations of strings

来自弦的振动

and those patterns we saw that we can't explain

而那些我们没办法解释的形态

come from the fact that the strings can probe

则来自于 弦可以探测并感知

and feel the shape of those internal dimensions.

那些内在维度 的这项事实

So, one of the things, then, is

其中一样就是

can we actually test this?

我们可以验证它吗？

This is a lovely idea, but how do we confront this

这是一个可爱的想法 因为我们是做科学的

with real experiments and observations

我们要如何用实际的实验及观测

because we're doing science here?

来证实它？

And that's the hard thing.

这是个困难

We think that the energy you need

我们认为要探测到

to probe the tiny-enough scales

能够看见弦 那么小的尺度

to see the strings if they're there,

所需要的能量

is more than we can hope to get any time soon.

比近期内我们期望得到的 能量都还高

But what we can do is we can look

但我们可以做的是 我们可以找看看

for the consequences of those hidden structures,

这些隐藏结构所造成的结果

we can look for how those things show up in physics

我们可以找看看它们在 我们观测得到的物理现象中

that we can get access to.

是什么样子

So, that's why we study things like

所以这是为什么 我们会研究

dark matter,

暗物质

black holes,

黑洞

dark energy,

and we also look at remnants of the early universe,

暗能量

而我们也在观察 早期宇宙的残留物

the cosmic microwave background that satellites.

就是宇宙背景发出的 宇宙微波

And, importantly, we look for clues

而很重要的是 我们从

from the various kinds of particle physics experiments,

各种粒子物理实验中 在找线索

like the LHC.

比如大型粒子对撞机

So, one last thing, then,

最后让我告诉你们

is a new thing that's been going on.

一件最近发生的事

String theory may turn out to be useful

弦理论可能会变得

in other areas of physics.

对其它物理领域有用处

There are new kinds of experiments

有新的实验正在展开

that start out, say, with our friend the electron,

比如说 我们的朋友电子

and actually show that in certain circumstances,

被证实在某些环境下

the electrons interact in a way

会以一种全新

that give you completely new,

且怪异的行为

weird kinds of behavior.

相互作用

And there are models that show

有些模型说明

that string theory's actually the best way.

弦理论是最好的描述方法

In some circumstances,

在一些环境下

using the rules of string theory,

用弦理论的法则

you can actually explain that sort of behavior.

你可以解释这类的行为

So this gives us an exciting possibility,

所以这给我们一次很好的机会

there's real experiments you can do

我们可以用些种电子

with these electrons

做一些实际的实验

that will help us shape the rules

这会帮助我们建构

for what string theory is.

那些弦理论的法则

And you might go,

而你也许会说：

"Well, OK, that's going to give us

“好吧，这会给我们

maybe some fancy new kind of electronics

一些可能比较新潮的电子学

that we can make a better cell phone with."

来制造比较好的手机。”

But, what I'm saying that those rules

但是 我想说的是

may actually be the same rules we're looking for

这些法则可能正是

to see if string theory can help us

那些我们正在寻找的

with these bigger questions.

可能证明弦论能解决大问题 的那些法则

So, at the end of the day,

最后

the hidden structures of the universe we're looking for,

我希望我们正在寻找的 宇宙隐藏结构

may, one day, be right under our noses.

在不久的将来就能被发现

Thank you.

谢谢