与摩根·弗里曼一起穿越虫洞（2010）

Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman S02E07

Part 6 April 19, 2021, 2:37 p.m.

情况就不得不改写了
things have to be rewritten.
所以说要重头再来安排
So it's back to the drawing board
物理学中的某些基本原理
for certain fundamental principles in physics.
难道是爱因斯坦错了？
Could Einstein be wrong?
难道光速在宇宙不同部分
Could the speed of light be different
是不相同的？
in different parts of the cosmos?
在世界的另一头
On the other side of the world,
有一位宇宙学家坚定地回答没错
one cosmologist is sure the answer is "yes."
他认为光跑得远快于我们的想象
He believes that light can move much faster than we think,
也就是在宇宙中
and that, out there in the Universe,
有高速公路通往外星
there are superhighways to the stars.
早在开启太空时代时
Back at the dawn of the Space Age,
曾全都心系合适的东西
it was all about having the right stuff.
星际旅行第一人同样需要它
The first people who journey to the stars will need it, too.
他们要闯入未知的世界
They will be venturing into the absolute unknown,
或许是首次跑得比光还快
and, perhaps for the first time, traveling faster than light.
理论物理学家乔奥·马古悠
Theoretical physicist Joao Magueijo
认为外太空或许有地方
thinks that there may be regions of outer space
超光速旅行是有可能的
where faster-than-light travel is possible.
他开♥发♥出这个激进的理论是因为若是没有它
He developed this radical theory because without it,
他就无法解释宇宙的模样
he couldn't explain the way the Universe looks.
我们观察宇宙时
When we look out into the Universe,
所看到的一切在所有的方向都是一样的
everything looks the same in every direction.
这是个问题
This is a problem,
因为在宇宙问世之后
because during the time the Universe has lived,
其实并没有足够的时间让光的旅行
there really isn't enough time for light to travel around
表现出在宇宙中平均分配
for features to be shared around the Universe,
这我们称之为同质化问题
and this we call the homogeneity problem.
同质化问题
The homogeneity problem,
实际上就是所有的星系所有的物质
the fact that all galaxies and all matter
均匀地分布在整个宇宙间
are evenly spread around the Universe
不管我们朝哪里看
no matter where we look,
这是宇宙学里最大的难题之一
is one of the biggest puzzles in cosmology.
问题在于科学家并不认为大爆♥炸♥之后
The problem is, scientists don't think there has been enough time
有足够的时间让物质分布得如此均匀
since the Big Bang for matter to spread out so evenly.
把大爆♥炸♥想象成一个大聚会
Imagine the Big Bang was a big party.
聚会一旦开始
As soon as the party starts,
每个人马上端上一杯同样的酒
everyone instantly has a glass of the same kind of wine.
女侍应怎么会有时间
How would a waitress have time
这么快就为每个人斟上酒的呢？
to serve everyone a glass of wine so quickly?
如果她只能以光速移♥动♥
If she can only move at the speed of light,
她就没有时间在他们散开之前到达每个人的面前
she won't have time to reach everyone before they disperse,
就如大爆♥炸♥宇宙模型一般
like the Big-Bang Universe.
大多数科学家解决这个问题
Most scientists solve this problem
所用的理论叫做宇宙膨胀说
with a theory called cosmic inflation.
其概念是一开始时
The idea is that the room stayed small
所呆的房♥间小得够时间
for longer at the beginning of time,
给女侍应以足够的时间来伺候各位
giving the waitress enough time to serve everyone.
然后一个神秘的膨胀之力
Then, a mysterious magnifying force
瞬间将房♥间涨开
inflates the room very rapidly.
人人都得到了饮品女侍应则汗流浃背了
Everyone gets a drink, and the waitress hardly breaks a sweat.
宇宙膨胀说称宇宙
Cosmic inflation says the Universe
一开始是难以想象的那么一丁点
started as an unimaginably small pinpoint
集中了宇宙所有的能量
concentrating all the energy of the Universe,
而在一开始的万亿万亿
and that in the first trillions of trillions
万亿分之一秒钟之内
of trillions of a second,
宇宙的规模不断地翻番翻番翻番
the Universe doubled, doubled, and doubled in size.
最初平滑的那一点
The initial smoothness of that single point
于是扩展到了我们眼下所看到的广袤的空间
then spread to the vast distances we can see nowadays.
但是膨胀说并未得到证实
But inflation is not proven.
它只是个理论
It's just a theory.
乔奥有了它的替代品
And Joao has an alternative to it --
一个刺♥激♥的理论
a provocative theory
它有可能将宇宙让我们触手可及了
that might bring the Universe within our reach.
要是不去改变膨胀的速度
What if, instead of changing the rate of expansion,
我们去改变速度的极限——光速又当如何呢？
we change the speed limit -- the speed of light?
那就是我们所谓的光速可变理论
That's what we call the varying speed of light theory.
根据光速可变理论
Under the varying speed of light theory,
我们的女侍应只是在宇宙一开始时
our waitress simply served everyone faster
伺候各位更快些
in the beginning of the Universe
于是减缓到了当前的速度
and then slowed down to the current speed,
让我们这些迟来者疑惑她在如此短的时间里
leaving us latecomers wondering how she managed
是如何应付如此大的宇宙的
to serve such a large Universe in such a short time.
乔奥的理论解决了同质化问题
Joao's theory solves the homogeneity problem
和宇宙膨胀说一样有效
just as effectively as cosmic inflation.
不过它也蔑视了爱因斯坦的黄金规则
But it also thumbs its nose at Einstein's golden rule.
这并不完全违背爱因斯坦的原则
This does not exactly contradict Einstein's principle
即光速是速度的极限
that the speed of light is the speed limit.
我们只是说速度极限的改变
We're only saying that the speed limit
贯穿了宇宙的一生
changed throughout the life of the Universe.
乔奥的理论意味着
And Joao's theory means there might be a way
可能有办法去打破今天的宇宙速度极限
to break today's cosmic speed limit,
因为可能有途径穿越空间
because there could be pathways through space
在那里光速依然保持得更快些
where the speed of light remains faster.
这些途径被称为宇宙弦
These pathways are called cosmic strings.
根据可变光速理论
Under the varying speed of light theory,
光在宇宙开始时要跑得更快些
light traveled faster in the beginning of the Universe,
宇宙弦可能就是那些地区
and cosmic strings could be regions
在那里这种更高速度极限依然行之有效
where this higher speed limit is still in force.
其概念就是在宇宙的
The idea is that, in the first moments
最初一刻
of the Universe,
细小的破碎就已经形成于时空间了
tiny fractures formed in space-time.
从那时起这些破碎
Since then, these fractures
随着宇宙中其他东西一起扩张
expanded along with everything else in the cosmos
直到现在几十亿光年之久
and are now billions of light-years long.
宇宙弦可能充当高速通道
Cosmic strings might serve as high-speed lines
直达那些你慢慢爬行
cutting across regions
所无法抵达的地区
where you would otherwise be moving at a crawl.
你可能觉得宇宙弦
You could think of cosmic strings
就像是伦敦的地铁
like the Tube in London...
在那里地面上有速度限制
...where, on the surface, there is a speed limit,
但是显然在地下并无限制
but obviously down there there isn't one.
在地表爱因斯坦的限制就是法律
On the surface, Einstein's limit is the law.
地铁就是宇宙弦
The Tube below is the cosmic string --
穿城的快速通道
a faster way across town.
如果你装备有一艘飞船
If you could fit a spacecraft
能进入宇宙弦周围所创造出来的
into the corridor of high speed limit
更高速度极限的通道
created around the cosmic string,
快速穿越宇宙将会成为可能
fast travel throughout the Universe would become possible.
宇宙弦尚未被发现
Cosmic strings have yet to be found,
可变光速依然还是一个理论
and the variation in the speed of light is still just a theory.
但是逐渐并坚定不移地
But slowly and steadily,
科学家们如乔奥·马古悠和约翰·韦伯
scientists like Joao Magueijo and John Webb
正在逐渐瓦解爱因斯坦的宇宙速度极限
are chipping away at Einstein's cosmic speed limit.
你开始怀疑
You begin to wonder,
若是它在宇宙间从此地至那地发生变化
what if it changes from place to place in the Universe,
或许其曾处于宇宙历史的不同的早期
or maybe it was different early on in the Universe's history,
如果光速是变化的
and if the speed of light is changing,
那么我们有对物理学的大量认识
then a lot of what we think about physics
在宇宙早期至今也会有所不同
could be different in the early Universe to today.
世界各地
Around the world,
科学家们正在测试新的技术
scientists are testing new technologies
深入探寻物理学的核心
and probing deep into the heart of physics
来揭秘宇宙的新的规律
to uncover new laws of the Universe,
以找到方法让我们脱离我们的地球村
to find a way for us to escape our island Earth.
我们要成为宇宙公民依然路途漫漫
We are still a long way from becoming citizens of the cosmos.
外星仍然几乎是遥不可及
The stars remain almost unimaginably far away.
但不管科学接下来何去何从
But wherever science goes next,
我们探索这个终极疆域的希望将永不泯灭
our hopes to explore this final frontier will never be dimmed.
有朝一日我们将抵达那里
And, one day, we will reach it,