与摩根·弗里曼一起穿越虫洞（2010）

Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman S01E04

Part 7 April 19, 2021, 2:24 p.m.

在我们的时间之前，存在时间吗？
was there a time before our time? --
在我们地球，我们的头上一百万英里的地方盘旋
could be circling the Earth a million miles over our heads.
在宇宙创世前发生了什么？
What happened before the beginning?
问题摆在那儿各路人马却都疲惫不堪
The question is posed. Sides are drawn.
终场辩论正在准备之中
The closing arguments are being prepared.
答案会是“啥也没有”？
Is the answer "nothing"?
大爆♥炸♥是突然和无法理解的
Did a Big Bang suddenly and inexplicably burst into life
从没有时间、没有空间的地方爆发形成？
from a time of no-when and a place of nowhere?
还是在我们之前就存在一个宇宙
Or could we have bounced
我们只不过听到了它收缩时
from the contraction of another Universe
发出的回声？
that existed before ours?
哦我们生活在平行宇宙的旁边吗？
Or are we living a trillionth of a trillionth
它距离我们只有一个原子直径的万亿分之一
of the width of an atom away from a parallel Universe,
而每过一万亿年
and every trillion years,
这些平行宇宙彼此碰撞
these parallel worlds bump into one another
充满了巨大的能量和物质
and fill each other up with huge amounts of energy and matter?
马丁·博约沃尔德教授的活跃宇宙理论
Professor Martin Bojowald's bouncing Universe
还在修改完善之中
is still a work in progress,
但对宇宙周期论
but for proponents
和大爆♥炸♥膨胀理论的支持者而言
of the cyclic and the Big Bang inflation model,
针对宇宙何时和怎样开始这一问题的答案
the answer to how and when the Universe started
也许正在穿过时空向我们飞来
may be moving toward us across time and space
如同宇宙海洋中的微小波纹
like tiny ripples in the cosmic ocean...
引力波
...Gravitational waves.
引力波很像是声波
Gravitational wave is pretty much like a sound wave.
我们习惯了声波传播
We're used to a sound wave
比如在我对你说话时声波从我这儿传播到你那儿
traveling from me to you as I speak,
声波是通过压缩和伸展我们之间的空气传播的
as a compression and expansion of the air between us.
在声波从我这儿传播到你那儿的过程中
And so the molecules get more densely packed and further apart
空气分子的密度时大时小
as the wave moves from me to you.
引力波并不造成空气的涟漪
But gravitational waves ripple
而是空间本身
not air molecules, but space itself, which means
这就意味着他们会造成一束光的伸展或压缩
that they can stretch out or compress a beam of light
并导致光的色移
and cause a shift in its color.
这样，如果空间扩展
So, if space is expanded,
我们会看到辐射出现
we'll see the radiation shifted
红移现象，频率低，波长更长
to red frequencies, longer wavelengths.
但是如果辐射是像我们飞来的
But if it's coming towards us, we'll see
我们会看到蓝移现象
it's slightly bluer than it would otherwise have been.
这样，通过仔细分♥析♥
And so, by carefully analyzing
天空中辐射的模式
the pattern of radiation on the sky,
我们可以，实际上，推断引力波是否
we can, in fact, infer if there are gravitational waves
经过这部分宇宙传播
traveling through our part of the Universe.
火箭技术的发展
And rocket technology
使科学家能够在太空中
will get the scientists far enough up into space
观察这些引力波
to espy these gravitational waves.
普朗克卫星
The Planck satellite
威尔金森探测器的继任者
is the successor to WMAP.
它能够以2倍的分辨率和10倍的灵敏度
It will be measuring the sky with about twice the resolution
扫描天空
and about 10 times the sensitivity.
普朗克卫星使我们第一次拥有了
The Planck satellite is really the first device we have
也许能够找到“引力波”的
which seems to have a strong capability
强大能力
of maybe finding these gravity waves.
如果我们走运
And if we're lucky, that'll tell us what happened
它还会告诉我们，大爆♥炸♥之后第一时刻发生了什么
during the first moments of the Big Bang,
甚至更早时候的情形
or maybe even before.
对大爆♥炸♥膨胀模型的支持者来说
For proponents of The Big Bang inflation model,
找到显著的引力波
finding significant gravitational waves
也许是证明
would be the final step in proving
存在一场无时无地爆发的大爆♥炸♥和
that there was a giant expansion of whooshing energy
能量扩散的最后一步
from a place of nowhere and no-when.
但是保罗·斯泰恩哈特和尼尔·图罗克
But Paul Steinhardt and Neil Turok
也在翘首盼望普朗克卫星的结果
are also looking forward to the Planck satellite results.
在他们关于早期宇宙的周期模型中
In their cyclic model of the beginning of the Universe,
两个膜彼此靠近
two branes coming together
会是一个温柔的多的碰撞
would be a much less intense collision,
他们成功的机会在于
and the chances are
引力波也许基本不存在
that gravitational waves would be almost nonexistent.
如果我们通过普朗克卫星
If we observe these gravitational waves
观察到引力波
in the Planck satellite,
这会是对膨胀理论的支持
that will support the inflationary theory
而宣告周期模型的出局
and rule out the cyclic picture.
相反，如果我们不能观察到引力波
And conversely, if we don't see them,
则会强劲的支持周期模型
that would strongly support the cyclic picture.
但是无论哪种理论
But no matter which description
对早期宇宙描述更加精确
of the beginning of the Universe appears to be more accurate,
真正的赢家都会是
the true winner will be
我们人类的科学能力
our own scientific understanding.
是的，对我来说，人类对抗自然
Yeah, to me, it's man against nature.
我们努力揭示大自然的秘密
We're trying to figure out nature's secrets.
如果我们走运我们会得到惊喜的
If we're lucky, we'll be surprised.
这些微小几乎无法探测的波
These tiny, almost undetectable waves
会给未来的宇宙学方向
will have a tsunami-like effect
带来海啸般的影响
on the future direction of cosmology.
替代那些无中生有
Instead of appearing from nowhere and no-when
和来自人类幻觉的想法
and rising from stardust to humankind,
我们可以考虑这些让人惊讶的假定
we may have to consider the mind-boggling premise
那就是我们只是
that we are just the latest version
一系列无尽的宇宙中最新的版本
of an endless series of Universes.
我们仍然无法确定在宇宙创世之前的情况
We still might not know what happened before the beginning...
但我们会明了的
But we would know that something did.
最终的答案也许近在手边
The final answer may be close at hand.