Einstein's miracle year - Larry Lagerstrom

譯者: 毓翔 王 審譯者: 旻霏 郭

As 1905 dawned,

隨著 1905 年的到來

the soon-to-be 26-year-old Albert Einstein faced life as a failed academic.

即將 26 歲的愛因斯坦 以一個被當的大學生身份面對人生

Most physicists of the time would have scoffed at the idea

當時大多數的物理學家 一定會加以嘲笑

that this minor civil servant could have much to contribute to science.

如果你說這個不起眼的公務員 將對科學做出巨大的貢獻

Yet within the following year,

然而在接下來的一年裡

Einstein would publish not one,

愛因斯坦發表了不止一篇

not two,

不止兩篇

not three,

不止三篇

but four extraordinary papers, each on a different topic,

而是四篇主題各不相同 卻都不同凡響的論文

that were destined to radically transform our understanding of the universe.

它們將徹底改變我們對宇宙的認識

The myth that Einstein had failed math is just that.

這也就是為什麼 爱因斯坦的數學被當是個迷思

He had mastered calculus on his own by the age of 15

他 15 歲時已經自己掌握了微積分

and done well at both his Munich secondary school

並且在慕尼黑中學和瑞士理工學院

and at the Swiss Polytechnic,

都有不錯的表現

where he studied for a math and physics teaching diploma.

他在這兩所學校獲得了 數學和物理教學學位

But skipping classes to spend more time in the lab

但是他為了花更多時間 待在實驗室而翹課

and neglecting to show proper deference to his professors

並忽視了對教授應有的尊重

had derailed his intended career path.

這使他偏離了預期的職業道路

Passed over even for a lab assistant position,

連一個實驗室助理的職位都不被考慮

he had to settle for a job at the Swiss patent office,

他只好在一位朋友的父親的幫助下

obtained with the help of a friend's father.

在瑞士專利局找了一份工作

Working six days a week as a patent clerk,

僅管作為一個專利審查員 一周要工作六天

Einstein still managed to make some time for physics,

愛因斯坦仍然能 留出一些時間給物理學

discussing the latest work with a few close friends,

與幾個好友討論最新的著作

and publishing a couple of minor papers.

並發表一些不怎麼重要的論文

It came as a major surprise

令人大吃一驚的是

when in March 1905 he submitted a paper with a shocking hypothesis.

他在 1905 年三月發表了一篇 有著驚人假設的論文

Despite decades of evidence that light was a wave,

不顧幾十年來的證據顯示光是一種波

Einstein proposed that it could, in fact, be a particle,

愛因斯坦提出，光實際上可以是粒子

showing that mysterious phenomena, such as the photoelectric effect,

並說明一些神秘的現象，比如光電效應

could be explained by his hypothesis.

可以用他的假說來解釋

The idea was derided for years to come,

這個觀點在接下來的 幾年裡一直被嘲笑

but Einstein was simply twenty years ahead of his time.

但愛因斯坦只是 領先了他的時代二十年

Wave-particle duality was slated to become a cornerstone of the quantum revolution.

波粒二象性將成為量子革命的根基

Two months later in May, Einstein submitted a second paper,

兩個月之後，愛因斯坦在五月 發表了第二篇論文

this time tackling the centuries old question of whether atoms actually exist.

這次他研究的是延續 幾個世紀的古老問題

原子是否存在

Though certain theories were built on the idea of invisible atoms,

僅管某些理論是建立在 不可見的原子上

some prominent scientists still believed them to be a useful fiction,

一些傑出的科學家還是認為

比起真實的物理實物 原子更像是一個有用的假設

rather than actual physical objects.

But Einstein used an ingenious argument,

但是愛因斯坦用了一個獨創的論點

showing that the behavior of small particles

展示了微小粒子的運動

randomly moving around in a liquid, known as Brownian motion,

小分子在液體中的不規則運動

也就是布朗運動

could be precisely predicted

布朗運動可以被準確的預測

by the collisions of millions of invisible atoms.

因為它是通過數以百計 不可見的原子互相撞擊而成的

Experiments soon confirmed Einstein's model,

不久，實驗就證明了愛因斯坦的模型

and atomic skeptics threw in the towel.

原子論的懷疑者也拱手認输

The third paper came in June.

第三篇論文發表於六月

For a long time,

在很長一段時間裡

Einstein had been troubled by an inconsistency

愛因斯坦一直被物理學中

between two fundamental principles of physics.

兩個不一致的基礎原理所困擾

The well established principle of relativity,

被廣泛接受的相對性原理

going all the way back to Galileo,

在伽利略時期就已經被確立

stated that absolute motion could not be defined.

它闡明絕對運動是無法定義的

Yet electromagnetic theory, also well established,

然而同樣被廣泛接受的電磁理論

asserted that absolute motion did exist.

則聲稱絕對運動是存在的

The discrepancy, and his inability to resolve it,

這個矛盾和自己的無能為力

left Einstein in what he described as a state of psychic tension.

使愛因斯坦陷入了所謂的 精神緊張的狀態

But one day in May,

但是五月的某一天

after he had mulled over the puzzle with his friend Michele Besso,

在和他的朋友米歇爾·貝索 探討這個問題後

the clouds parted.

愛因斯坦感到雲開霧散

Einstein realized that the contradiction could be resolved

愛因斯坦意識到 這個矛盾是可以化解的

if it was the speed of light that remained constant,

如果光速是恆定的

regardless of reference frame,

不論它處於何種參考系中

while both time and space were relative to the observer.

而時間和空間對於觀測者都是相對的

It took Einstein only a few weeks to work out the details

愛因斯坦只用了幾周就完成了細節

and formulate what came to be known as special relativity.

並用公式表達出了後來 被稱作狹義相對論的内容

The theory not only shattered our previous understanding of reality

這個理論不僅粉碎了 我們之前對現實的認識

but would also pave the way for technologies,

還為技術發展鋪平了道路

ranging from particle accelerators,

從粒子加速器

to the global positioning system.

到全球定位系統

One might think that this was enough,

你也許認為這已經足夠了

but in September,

但是在九月

a fourth paper arrived as a "by the way" follow-up to the special relativity paper.

第四篇被稱為「順便一提」的 狹義相對論後續文誕生了

Einstein had thought a little bit more about his theory,

愛因斯坦進一步思考了他的理論

and realized it also implied that mass and energy,

然後意識到它還隱含了質量和能量

one apparently solid and the other supposedly ethereal,

一個是明顯實體的 另一個被認為是飄渺的

were actually equivalent.

實際上是一樣的

And their relationship could be expressed in what was to become the most famous

它們的關係可以用一個 很著名的方程式來表達

and consequential equation in history:

這個方程式之後也成為 歷史上最重要的方程式之一：

E=mc^2.

E=mc^2

Einstein would not become a world famous icon for nearly another fifteen years.

愛因斯坦在接下來的 15 年內 都没有成為舉世聞名的人

It was only after his later general theory of relativity was confirmed in 1919

直到 1919 年他測量 星光在日全蝕中的彎曲

by measuring the bending of starlight during a solar eclipse

確認了他後來的廣義相對論

that the press would turn him into a celebrity.

媒體才把他變成了一個名人

But even if he had disappeared back into the patent office

但僅管他隨後銷聲匿跡回到專利局裡

and accomplished nothing else after 1905,

並在 1905 年之後一無所成

those four papers of his miracle year

但他在那奇蹟般的一年裡 寫出的四篇論文

would have remained the gold standard of startling unexpected genius.

使他成為令人震驚的天才