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

譯者: 瑞文Eleven 林Lim 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

[瑞士日內瓦，CH機場] [歐洲核子研究組織CERN所在地]

[兩個粒子正準備要跳傘]

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

嘿，兄弟你好， 我是氫原子，很高興認識你

How are you feeling about the jump?"

你對這次的跳傘感覺怎麼？

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

你好，我是反氫原子，你的反原子

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

老實說，我有一些緊張

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

我的正電子和反質子正負電平衡， 就像你的電子和質子，對吧？

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

嘿嘿，是啊！你看起來跟我很像， 但還是有些不同

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

哇，小心！如果我們太靠近， 結果火花一閃就灰飛煙滅了

I'd like to stay in one piece."

我還是一個人較安心

喔！抱歉

"Oh wow, sorry."

"It's okay. I was just thinking,

沒關係，我只是在想

在歐洲核子研究組織CERN上空跳傘前， 我們這樣聊天著實有些詭異

it's kind of weird for us to be

chatting like this before our jump above CERN."

"Why's that?"

怎麼說呢？

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

首先，怎麼知道我們兩個會一起落下呢？

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

當然是因為重力啊

you know, the force of attraction between masses.

你知道的，就是兩個物質之間相互的吸引力

I even know how fast we should fall.

我連我們會掉多快都知道

Galileo showed in that tower experiment

伽利略在比薩斜塔實驗就研究過了

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

不論質量大小 所有掉落的物體加速度都相同

"That's for bigger objects.

那是對較大的物體而言

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

對像我們這樣的小粒子，就另當別論了

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

我們的質量非常微小，所受重力微乎其微

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

如果是帶電粒子，像我的反質子或你的質子

then it becomes impossible to detect

與作用在他們身上，相對大得多的電磁力 比較起來，重力變得不可能檢測

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

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

但是，這僅適用於帶電粒子， 你和我都是電中性的

Our charges balance out, so the electromagnetic force is small

我們本身是正負電平衡， 所以電磁力很小 ，所以要考慮重力

and the gravitational force should be detectable.

I know mine's been measured."

我自己就是如此

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

因為你隨處可見，但我可就有點難找

"Why is that, anyway?

這是為什麼啊？

Shouldn't there have been an equal amount

在宇宙生成大爆炸時， 不是同時產生等量的物質和反物質嗎？

of matter and antimatter created in the Big Bang?"

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

這樣說是沒錯，還記得嗎？但隨後正反粒子 會互相碰撞而湮滅，並轉化成能量

would have annihilated each other into energy, remember?

And the Universe is obviously full of matter.

但宇宙顯然是充滿了物質啊

No one knows why there is more matter than antimatter,

沒有人知道為什麼物質比反物質多

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

這就是為什麼科學家對我那麼有興趣

"So where do they find you anyway?"

那麼，他們在哪裡可以找到你？

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

其實，我就是在下方的 CERN實驗室製造出來的

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

他們需要加速器來製造我的反質子

因為它就像你的質子一樣重

just as heavy as your proton.

Getting my positron was easier.

要得到我的正電子會較容易些

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

就像你的電子一樣，正電子輕得多

原子核自然衰變時就會放出1個正電子

that naturally decay by emitting one.

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

然後，將兩者結合起來，就可以得到我

But it's only recently

但他們到最近才能將我保存夠長的時間， 以便研究我的性質

that they've been able to keep me

around long enough to study my properties."

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

所以他們才把你送來跟我一起跳傘呀？ 嘿，等一下！

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

沒錯，我們正在重演伽利略的實驗

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

但我們是物質和反物質而不是兩個物質

"So what's going to happen?

那又怎樣呢？

Are you going to fall upwards or something?"

你會向上飛或是怎樣？

只有一種方式可以知道結果

"Only one way to find out!"