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

弦理論與宇宙的隱藏結構 - Clifford Johnson

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Jephian Lin 審譯者: Coco Shen

So I work on trying to understand

我的工作是試著了解

how the universe works at the very basic level,

宇宙運作的基本道理，

the most basic level we can find.

我們可以發現的最基本的層次。

So, when you try in your everyday life

當你在日常生活中

to try and work out how something works,

想試著了解某樣東西 是如何運作的，

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

你實際上會去探索的是

what I call hidden structures.

我稱之為「隱藏結構」的東西。

For example, you take something like your cell phone,

如果我們用你的手機作為例子，

your smart phone,

你的智慧型手機，

it's a complicated object,

那是一個複雜的東西，

and you might wonder how it works.

而你也許會好奇它如何運作。

Well, what you can do is go in

你可以做的是

and actually take it apart.

真的把它拆開。

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

這會讓保固無效，但不是個大問題。

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

而你會進一步發現

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

它是由許多小型電子元件組成。

And those electronic components are actually moving around

而這些電子元件事實上是由

a certain kind of particle that we know

一種我們熟知的粒子而驅動，

that's called the electron,

它做電子，

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

所以我們叫它「電器」。

So if you know the actual rules

如果你知道

of how to put those things together,

這些東西是如何組成的，

you can actually make your smart phone

你就可以製作你自己的 智慧型手機

or you could make various other electronic devices as well.

甚至是其它電子產品。

So, there are people like myself

世界上有不少像我

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

以此為業的人

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

但不僅僅侷限於手機或它的元件，

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

而是想了解── 比方說你的手、

or the chair you're sitting in,

或是所坐的椅子、

or the planet Earth,

或是地球、

the sun,

太陽、

the stars,

the entire universe.

星星、

或是整個宇宙的組成。

And so, using various kinds of instruments

因此，透過各種儀器、

and observations

還有觀測、

and experiments,

以及實驗，

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

經年累月下來 我們已經可以探測得更為深入，

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

而我們現在知道 組成我們、

and that we see around us

以及圍繞著我們的物質

is actually made of tiny little elementary particles.

實際上是由 極微小的基本粒子組成。

And elementary particles interact with each other

而基本粒子之間會用 自然界中

via the forces of nature,

基本的作用力 相互作用，

but we've also discovered

但我們同時也發現

that those forces of nature themselves actually operate

這些自然的作用力本身

by exchanging elementary particles as well.

竟然也是藉由 交換粒子來運作。

They're actually particles of force that are exchanged

實際上就是物質的粒子 在交換

by the particles of matter.

力的粒子。

And you may have heard this year

而你今年可能有聽過

that there was big news,

有一個大新聞，

a major announcement in this story,

這領域的一件大事，

the Large Hadron Collider, the LHC,

就是大型強子對撞機， 或稱 LHC，

a huge experiment in Europe,

在一個歐洲的大型實驗中，

has actually uncovered a Higgs boson,

發現了希格斯玻色子，

and that particle's job is to interact

而這個粒子的工作是

with the various elementary particles

與不同基本粒子相互作用

and give them the masses that we observe.

讓它們具有我們觀測到的質量。

So, this exciting picture is analogous

因此，這幅令人振奮的圖像 就像是

to the one I showed you for the cell phone.

我先前給你看的 關於手機的那些。

We have the components

我們有了這些元件，

and we have the rules of particle theory,

而我們有粒子理論的基本規則，

as it's called,

就像這理論名稱一樣，

by which these all operate

這些粒子組成

and give rise to the various things.

各式各樣的東西， 並讓它運作。

Now, we actually think that we've only just

現在，我們覺得我們

scratched the surface of finding this quantum world,

只沾了量子世界的邊而已，

the hidden structure of our world.

就是我們宇宙中 隱藏的結構。

Let me give you three examples

讓我來談談三個

of the puzzles we're still working on.

我們還在努力想解開的謎團。

So, what I did is I gathered the particles up

所以，我所做的是把各種粒子

into the patterns that they tend to form,

湊成它們的形成的模式，

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

但我們不知道這些模式是怎麼來的。

We know how to describe the particles,

我們知道怎樣描述粒子，

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

但是我們並不知道模式是從哪裡來的。

When you see patterns in science,

當你在科學中看到各種模式，

you look for a hidden structure,

你會去找隱藏結構，

so that's one of the things.

這是其中一件事。

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

我們知道宇宙中有大量物質，

more matter out there

這些物質遠比

than just the things that I was just talking about.

我前面所說的各種物質都還多。

That stuff is called dark matter.

它們叫做暗物質。

We don't know what it is,

我們不知道它是什麼，

and we'd like to be able to get it

而我們希望可以得到它

and experiment with it and figure out what it is.

並做實驗來了解它到底是什麼。

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

接著，另一樣我想談的事情

is the fact that the force of gravity,

是重力的本質，

perhaps the most familiar force we know,

這可能是我們最熟悉的作用力，

when you get down to the quantum level,

當你進入到量子的世界

it actually doesn't operate

重力並不會

according to those rules of particle theory.

像粒子理論那般運作。

So, given that gravity is actually about the shape

所以，假設重力就像是 愛因斯坦所教導我們的那樣，

of space and time as Einstein taught us,

和空間與時間的形狀有關，

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

我們想探索量子世界中的重力， 我們稱為量子重力，

which we call quantum gravity,

在探索的過程中

we hope to get to groups of questions like,

我們想要了解一些問題，像是：

are there particles of space and time itself

時間和空間本身有粒子嗎？

and how do they fit together?

又他們如何互相配合？

What are the rules?

運作規則是什麼？

So, this leads us to things

所以，這引導我們

like studying where it all began,

去了解 137 億年前

13.7 billion years ago,

這些東西是怎麼開始的，

the Big Bang.

也就是大爆炸理論。

We know matter and energy

在我們了解這世界的生成後，

as we understand it was created,

我們會了解物質和能量，

but also, space and time itself.

同時也了解空間和時間。

So those are the sorts of things

所以這些是一部份

we study in this quest.

這領域想研究的東西。

Also, we have things that are around us today,

另外，我們知道有些東西的存在，

such as black holes,

像是黑洞，

which are very important clues.

這是很重要的線索。

They're actually holes in space

它們實際上是空間中

that we'd like to understand.

我們想要了解的孔洞。

Also, the newly discovered dark energy,

同樣地，新發現的暗能量，

which is the tendency of space

它是空間的傾向

all through the universe to accelerate its expansion.

靠著宇宙加速自己的膨脹。

So scientists are working on these kinds of things,

所以科學家們 在這些方向上做努力，

trying to understand what we think is now the case

試著了解 那些隱藏結構，

that there's not just hidden structures

我們認為它可能不只是 物質與能量

of matter and energy,

的隱藏結構，

but also space and time.

它同時也是空間與時間的 隱藏結構。

So the question is, what are the rules?

因此問題是：「規則是什麼？」

And there are many approaches to this,

有許多理論來解釋它，

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

其中一種你們可能有聽過的，

called string theory.

叫做弦理論。

And so it is one of many approaches

它是其中一種理論，

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

但我們還不知道它是不是對的，

we're not finished developing the theory,

我們還沒完全發展這個理論，

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

但它已經給出許多 令人興奮、令人著迷的線索。

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

我想和你們談談它。

So, one of them is simply that you take away

所以，其中一點就是摒棄

the idea of looking for a tiny quantum particle,

找尋小量子的想法，

you look instead for an extended object,

相對地你找尋一種延伸的物件，

a string, which can vibrate.

就是弦，它可以振動。

And it actually gives you some exciting opportunities

這實際上這是一個 很令人激動的契機，

because, for example, it would say

因為，比如說，

if we've missed that hidden structure

如果我們因為觀察不夠仔細

by not looking closely enough,

而看不到隱藏結構，

we wouldn't realize that many different kinds of particles

我們就沒辦法了解各種不一樣的粒子

are just different vibrations of the same string,

其實就是同一個弦上 不同的振動而已，

which is a really exciting possibility

這是很有趣的可能性

and a huge simplification.

同時也是理論的一大簡化。

So that's one of the ideas.

所以這是其中一個想法。

The other thing that's really exciting about string theory

弦論另外很有趣一點是

is that one of those particles it describes

其中一種粒子所描述的

is actually the missing quantum of gravity

竟然就是我們 一直試著想了解

that we have been trying to understand.

卻找不到的量子重力。

And then the other thing is that strings actually,

另外就是， 弦並沒有只在

instead of one wanting just to move in the dimensions,

幾個維度中運動，

the three space dimensions that we are familiar with,

像是我們熟知的三維空間，

actually seem to want to move in higher dimensions.

它實際上在高維度裡移動。

So we have this idea, then,

所以我們有這種想法，那麼，

what would it mean for our world,

如果這和我們的世界有任何關連，

if this were anything to do with our world,

它代表什麼？

and we don't know that yet?

又我們還不知道什麼？

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

這是我們的世界從它推導出來的一種方法。

You would have our world,

你可以推導出我們的世界，

and then one of the hidden structures

其中一個隱藏結構

would be hidden chunks in space time

就是一群時間空間的隱藏結構，

that are not visible, those extra dimensions.

它看不見，就是那些多出三維的維度。

And then the various particles that we see in the world

那些我們所見到 不同的粒子

would come from being vibrations of strings

來自弦的振動；

and those patterns we saw that we can't explain

而那些我們沒辦法解釋的形態

come from the fact that the strings can probe

則來自於 弦可以探測並感知

and feel the shape of those internal dimensions.

那些內在維度 的這項事實。

So, one of the things, then, is

所以，其中一樣就是

can we actually test this?

我們可以驗證它嗎？

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

這是一個可愛的想法， 因為我們是做科學的，

with real experiments and observations

我們要如何用實際的實驗及觀測

because we're doing science here?

來證實它？

And that's the hard thing.

這是個困難。

We think that the energy you need

我們認為要探測到

to probe the tiny-enough scales

能夠看見弦 那麼小的尺度，

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.

比近期內我們期望得到的 能量都還高。

But what we can do is we can look

但我們可以做的是 我們可以找看看

for the consequences of those hidden structures,

這些隱藏結構所造成的結果，

we can look for how those things show up in physics

我們可以找看看它們在 我們觀測得到的物理現象中

that we can get access to.

是什麼樣子。

So, that's why we study things like

所以這是為什麼 我們會研究

dark matter,

暗物質、

black holes,

黑洞、

dark energy,

and we also look at remnants of the early universe,

暗能量，

而我們也在觀察 早期宇宙的殘留物，

the cosmic microwave background that satellites.

就是宇宙背景發出的 宇宙微波。

And, importantly, we look for clues

而很重要的是，我們從

from the various kinds of particle physics experiments,

各種粒子物理實驗中 在找線索，

like the LHC.

像是 LHC。

So, one last thing, then,

最後讓我告訴你們

is a new thing that's been going on.

一件最近發生的事。

String theory may turn out to be useful

弦理論可能會變得

in other areas of physics.

對其它物理領域有用處。

There are new kinds of experiments

有新的實驗正在展開，

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

比如說，我們的朋友電子

and actually show that in certain circumstances,

被證實在某些環境下

the electrons interact in a way

會以一種全新、

that give you completely new,

且怪異的行為，

weird kinds of behavior.

相互作用。

And there are models that show

有些模型說明

that string theory's actually the best way.

弦理論是最好的描述方法。

In some circumstances,

在一些環境下，

using the rules of string theory,

用弦理論的法則，

you can actually explain that sort of behavior.

你可以解釋這類的行為。

So this gives us an exciting possibility,

所以這給我們一次很好的機會，

there's real experiments you can do

我們可以用些種電子

with these electrons

做一些實際的實驗，

that will help us shape the rules

這會幫助我們建構

for what string theory is.

那些弦理論的法則。

And you might go,

而你也許會說：

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

「好吧，這會給我們

maybe some fancy new kind of electronics

一些可能比較新潮的電子學

that we can make a better cell phone with."

來製造比較好的手機。」

But, what I'm saying that those rules

但是，我想說的是，

may actually be the same rules we're looking for

這些法則可能正是

to see if string theory can help us

那些我們正在尋找

with these bigger questions.

來看看弦論是否能解決大問題 的那些法則。

So, at the end of the day,

所以，最後

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

我們正在尋找的 宇宙隱藏結構

may, one day, be right under our noses.

可能有一天 就在不遠處。

Thank you.

謝謝。