粒子狂热（2013）

Congratulations.
恭喜
Thank you. Thank you.
感谢 非常感谢
I did feel a sense of pride when the Higgs was announced,
当宣布发现希格斯粒子的时候我特别的自豪
but I felt a sense of pride for humanity,
同时我也为我们整个人类感到自豪
that, you know, we little people on a little planet
我们只是一群脑袋小小的生物
with tiny brains
生活在一颗小小的星球上
can go so deep and understand what happens.
然而却理解到了那么深层次的世界
Now we're talking about subnuclear distances
我们现在讨论的是以亚核为单位的世界
a thousand times smaller than an atomic nucleus.
比原子核还要小几千倍
Nevertheless, we can get things right,
不管怎么说 我们做到了
and just the power of the human mind.
这就是人类的智慧
It's astonishing that there are any laws of nature at all,
有的自然法则可以被数学公式解释
that they're describable by mathematics,
这件事是个惊人的发现
that mathematics is a tool that humans can understand,
而这些数学公式是人们理解自然界
that the laws of nature can be written on a page.
甚至记录下自然法则的一个工具
It's the greatest of all mysteries.
这是所有神秘的事物中最伟大的一个
There is a strong sense that we are hearing nature talk to us.
我总感觉到大自然仿佛在跟我们说话
Turns out, the Higgs mass
最终结果是 希格斯粒子
is about as interesting as it could be.
确实是个神奇的东西
It's sort of in no man's land.
它就像是在无人区一样
It doesn't prefer symmetries,
既不表现出对称性
and it doesn't prefer multiverse,
也不属于多元宇宙
but it's right in the middle.
而是介乎这两者之间
The data is puzzling enough
这些数据因为并不包含于任何一个理论
that it hasn't excluded any of the theories
从而显得非常难以理解
I was involved with,
我参与了数据处理
but it hasn't confirmed them either.
但是也无法证明那些理论
But until we look at detailed properties of the Higgs,
除非我们能够看透希格斯粒子的本质
and until we have the high-energy version
或许在许多年后当我们有能力
of the LHC in a couple of years,
在更高能量的条件下进行粒子对撞
we will not be able to make a stronger statement.
那时我们才能真正了解它
The most important, first lesson
在这次发现希格斯粒子的实验中
of the discovery of the Higgs
最重要的一件事就是
is that physics works.
我们的物理学理论是正确的
The Higgs, on the one hand,
一方面
completes the most successful scientific theory
希格斯粒子帮我们完善了
we've ever had,
最成功的一个理论
on the other hand, opens the door
另一方面
to some very major paradoxes that we now must address.
它为我们打开了通往未来的大门
We're at a fork in the road, and the LHC
现在我们遇到了一个转折点
is steadfastly refusing to push us
大型强子对撞机可以帮助我们
in one direction or the other:
沿着这条路一直走下去
the multiverse on the one side,
这条路可能朝着多元宇宙论的方向
and some beautiful symmetry on the other side.
也可能朝着超对称理论的方向
It's cranking up the suspense as much as it possibly can.
它正在一步步为我们揭开悬念
Before the LHC started, we would always say,
在这个实验开始前 我们一直在说
"New physics is just around the corner."
“新的物理现象就要被发现了”
And now we're kind of like,
而现在 我们却说
"New physics is still out there."
“还有很多物理现象在等着我们呢”
And, for one, I'm not discouraged by this,
对我来说 我并不反对上面这个观点
by any means, because we know
因为我们已经知道了
that new physics has to be out there.
一定会有新的物理现象
The next step is, the LHC goes into a shutdown,
下一步我们将会关停对撞机
stays off for two years for improvements and upgrades,
然后花上两年的时间来检修和升级
and when it returns, it's going to be twice the energy.
届时它的能量将比现在高一倍
And for sure, my vote's for supersymmetry.
当然 我还是偏向于相信超对称理论
Jesus.
天哪
That was exciting.
我实在是太激动了
If this is true,
如果真如结果显示的那样
the Higgs is about 125 GeV,
希格斯粒子的质量大概是125 GeV
and that means...
那就意味着
um, yeah, actually almost all of my models
基本上我之前搭建的所有模型
are ruled out,
都是错误的
which... all the supersymmetry models,
所有关于超对称理论的模型
which is pretty cool.
不过这样也挺好的
I mean, supersymmetry could still be true,
毕竟超对称理论可能还是正确的
but it would have to be a very strange version of the theory.
但可能会是一个更为奇怪的观点
And if it's the multiverse...
如果多元宇宙论是正确的
well, other universes would be amazing, of course,
当然如果真的存在那么多宇宙也不错
but it could also mean no other new particles discovered,
但这也意味着我们不会再发现任何新的粒子了
and then a Higgs with a mass of 125
因为希格斯粒子所拥有的125 GeV质量
is right at a critical point for the fate of our universe.
对于我们的宇宙来说已经是极限了
Without any other new particles,
如果没有其他的粒子
that Higgs is unstable.
那么希格斯粒子将会很不稳定
It's temporary.
它只会存在很短的时间
And since the Higgs holds everything together,
正因为希格斯粒子是把万物联♥系♥在一起的物质
if the Higgs goes, everything goes.
如果希格斯粒子消失了 那万物将不复存在
It's amazing that the Higgs,
一想到希格斯粒子
the center of the Standard Model,
正是我们一直在寻找的
the thing we've all been looking for,
标准模型的核心
could actually also be the thing that destroys everything.
但同时它又可以毁灭万物
The creator and the destroyer.
它是造物者同时也是毁灭者
But we could discover new particles,
但是我们也有可能会发现其他粒子
and then none of that would be true.
上述的担忧也都不会发生
And anyway, we have something to do.
无论如何 我们的路还很长
There is a very nice sentence in the Divine Comedy by Dante
但丁的《神曲》里面有这么一段话
which means, "We were not born
意思是“我们的存在并不是
"to live as animals,
为了像动物那样生存
but to pursue knowledge and virtue."
而是为了追求真♥善♥美♥”
So science and knowledge are very important,
所以科学和知识是非常重要的
like art is very important.
就像艺术对我们很重要一样
It's a need of mankind.
这是人类的一个需求
I just saw, two weeks ago,
两个星期前
Werner Herzog talking about
我看到沃纳·赫尔佐格
and then screening his new movie.
在宣传他的新电影
But it was about these incredible caves
那部电影讲的是
that they discovered a few years ago in France.
几年前在法国发现的一个惊人的岩洞
Stunningly beautiful.
非常壮观
Gorgeously drawn horses, bison,
墙上的原始壁画都非常美
rhinoceros, lions,
画着马 野牛 犀牛还有狮子
because, 40,000 years ago,
因为在4万年前
this is what was going on there.
那里就是这样的
In exploration... and science is exploration...
探索 或者说对科学探索来说
there needs to be the set of people
绝对不能少了这样一群人
who have no rules,
他们不受规则的约束
and they are going into the frontier
敢于进入无人涉及领域
and come back with the strange animals
然后为后人留下一些奇怪的动物画像
and the interesting rocks and the amazing pictures,
造型奇特的石头 以及惊人的壁画
and to show us what's out there,
让我们知道当时都发生了什么
discover something.
这就是探险精神
Why do humans do science?
为什么人类需要科学
Why do they do art?
为什么人类需要艺术
The things that are least important for our survival
这些看起来与我们的生存毫无关联的事
are the very things that make us human.
却恰恰定义了我们作为人类的意义