与摩根·弗里曼一起穿越虫洞（2010）

Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman S02E07

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

你无法做到速度超过光速
and you cannot do this faster than the speed of light.
然而取而代之的是让我们压缩这里的空间
But instead of that, let us contract space here
扩张这里像这样
and expand it here, like this.
这样你看现在这飞船
So, you see, now the spaceship
在逐步靠近这边而远离那边
is getting closer to this side and further away from that side.
然而相对周围的物体
Bur it's actually not moving at all
它其实根本就没动
with respect to the objects around it.
米给尔想法之美
The beauty of Miguel's idea
就在于飞船实际上
is that the spaceship actually stands still
在时空泡里原地没动
inside the bubble of space-time.
因为它没动所以它没有增加任何质量
Since it's not moving, it doesn't gain any mass.
你实际上能够跑出任何速度
You can actually go at any speed,
因为不存在物理学定律的限制
because there's no limit in the laws of physics
那就告诉你你可以翘曲空间有多快
that tells you how fast you can warp space,
你可以扩张或压缩空间有多快
how fast you can expand or contract space.
你可以随心所欲达到任何速度
You can do it at any speed you want.
米给尔的曲速引擎是一个巧妙的方法
Miguel's warp drive is an ingenious way
绕开了爱因斯坦的宇宙速度极限
around Einstein's cosmic speed limit.
不过它还是理论上的
But it's still theoretical,
缺少一个关键的要素
and lacks one crucial ingredient --
一种奇怪的物质叫做负能量
an exotic substance called negative energy,
许多科学家甚至都无把握存在的东西
something that many scientists aren't even sure exists.
但是有一个人确信有负能量
But one man does believe in negative energy.
他甚至声称他在自己的实验室里创造出来了
He even claims he's created it in his lab.
曲速引擎
The warp drive.
听起来好像是科幻
It sounds like science fiction,
但在翘曲的空间泡泡中穿行在
but the idea of surfing across the Universe
整个宇宙间的想法
in a warping bubble of space
对爱因斯坦来说完全说得通
would make perfect sense to Einstein.
有一个障碍
There is one snag.
曲速引擎只能靠
A warp drive can only function
一个神秘的能源来运作
with a mysterious power source --
负能量
negative energy.
如今大多数科学家认为负能量
And today, most scientists believe negative energy
只是一个未经证实的理论性概念
is just an unproven theoretical concept.
然而斯蒂夫·拉蒙诺耶鲁大学的原子物理学家
But Steve Lamoreaux, an atomic physicist at Yale University,
他立志要追查出此种奇怪的能量
has made it his mission to track down this exotic form of energy,
他认为答案就在我们身边
and he believes the answer is all around us
在空间本身的构造中
in the fabric of space itself.
我们通常将真空的空间
We normally think of the vacuum of space
看作是空无一物
as being completely empty,
然而事实上真空中有能量密度
but, in fact, there is energy density in empty space,
我们将其称之为空间的零点能
and we call that the zero-point energy of space.
量子力学说
The theory of quantum mechanics
预言真空空间其实始终是波光粼粼
predicts that empty space is actually constantly shimmering
那是现实中此起彼落的粒子
with microscopic pulses of energy
所产生的微量能量脉冲
as particles pop in and out of existence.
为了产生负能量
To make negative energy,
你就得找到方法去抑制此种无休无止的震颤
you have to find a way to suppress this constant chatter.
斯蒂夫意识到要做到这一点的方法
Steve realized the way to do this
就在于改变空间的形态
was to change the shape of space.
有一个很好的比喻
There's a nice analogy.
你如果有两条船在狂涛骇浪之中
If you have two ships on a rough ocean,
一条船就会反射出它所产生的波浪
one ship will kind of reflect waves from it.
另一条也会做同样的事情
The other one does the same thing.
两条船之间的波浪密度相对
So the wave density between the two ships is a little bit less
一条船置身于波浪中要小一点
compared to one by itself which is surrounded by a rough sea.
所以说你将两条船放在波浪之中
So, you put two ships on a rough sea,
它们会相互吸引走到一起
they'll be mutually attracted, and they'll come together.
斯蒂夫推断如果他在真空中
Steve reasoned that if he created
创造出一个足够窄的地带
a narrow-enough region of empty space
如这两条船之间的区域
like the area between the two ships,
那么某些波光粼粼的零点能
then some of the shimmering zero-point energy
就不会在里头了
would not fit inside it.
狭窄地带外面的真空能量
The energy of empty space outside the narrow region
会较为强大迫使其收缩
would be stronger and force it to shrink.
那个力量就是负能量的标记
That force would be the signature of negative energy,
斯蒂夫着手在其实验室里创造它
and Steve set out to create it in his lab.
就是这个想法消耗了
It was an idea that would consume him
他十余年光阴
for more than a decade.
我们称这个实验为“时间机器”
We call the experiment "The Time Machine."
眼下是时间机器2
Actually, the "Time Machine 2."
这是实验的第二版
This is the second version of the experiment.
我们这样说是因为我的15年人生
We call it that because I invested 15 years of my life
投入到了这个实验里了
in this measurement.
大量的时间
That's a lot of time.
所以它是费时机器更准确地说吧
So, it's a time-wasting machine, more accurately defined.
这个真空室里
Inside this vacuum chamber
放有两块小金属板
are two small metal plates
彼此相距不超过
sitting less than the width of a human hair
人的头发的宽度
apart from one another.
为了让它们如此接近又不触及
To get them that close and not touch,
金属板得非常平滑
the metal has to be perfectly flat,
几乎达到原子级别
down almost to the atomic level.
自♥由♥空间里的零点波动
The zero-point fluctuations of free space
不会就发生在这些板子之间
won't fit between those plates, as well,
因此当你把两块板子放在一起时
so when you bring these two plates together,
板子之间的波动会小于
there are fewer fluctuations between the plates
板子外面的波动
than there are outside the plates.
力在积累
The force builds up,
实际上是随着板子的逐步靠近
and it actually gets stronger and stronger
变得越来越强
as the plates get closer together,
我们所说的力就是产生于负能量
and that force we refer to as arising from negative energy.
板子外面的零点能的波动
The zero-point energy fluctuations outside the plates
要强于板子之间的波动
are stronger than those between,
因此外部的压力会将它们推在一起
so pressure from the outside pushes them together.
或者换个角度来思考一下
Or think of it another way.
板子之间的负能量扩张了其周围的空间
The negative energy between the plates expands space around it.
斯蒂夫多年一丝不苟的工作
Steve's years of meticulous labor
已经使其成为了地球上第一人
have made him the first person on Earth
测量到了负能量所产生的力道
to have measured a force produced by negative energy.
但是他所测到的量微乎其微
But the amount he has detected is miniscule.
该力相当于一个红血球
The force is equal to the weight of a red blood cell
在地球重力场里的重量所以极其微弱
in the Earth's gravitational field, so it's tiny.
但你若是累积上数千块这样的板子
But if you add up thousands of these plates
就像我们实验里的这些
like we have in our experiment,
你就能获得明显而有效地力道
you can actually achieve a palpable and useful force.
斯蒂夫的发现
Steve's discovery
有可能只是朝向曲速引擎的起步
may only be a baby step towards warp drive,
然而他证明了
but he's confirmed
米给尔·阿库别瑞的曲速引擎理论
that Miguel Alcubierre's warp drive theory
并不违背物理定律
does not violate the laws of physics.
弯曲空间及推动曲速引擎所需的能量
The energy needed to warp space and propel a warp drive forward
确实存在着
actually exists.
然而他也打开了其他东西的大门
But he's also opened the door to something else --
虫洞空间自身结构的裂口
the wormhole, a rip in the fabric of space itself.
如果这一理论对象存在
If this theoretical object exists,
那么你就可以在一个地方进去
you could enter it in one place
稍后现身穿越了整个星系
and emerge moments later clear across the galaxy.
然而虫洞不止是科幻么？
But are wormholes more than a science-fiction fantasy?
若是这样我们如何知道它们会将我们带去何方呢？
And, if so, how would we know where they would take us?
现在有位物理学家大胆闯入了这些奇怪的大门
Now one physicist is daring to enter these strange portals
谋划穿越虫洞
and plot a course through the wormhole.
我们都听说过虫洞
We've all heard of wormholes.
它们是宇宙捷径
They're cosmic shortcuts
将外星世界几乎就放在了我们的家门口
that put alien worlds practically on our doorstep.
但是我们如何真正构建出一个来呢？
But how would we actually build one?
我们如何去利用它呢？
And how would we use one?
通过虫洞旅行需要异乎寻常的技术
Travel by wormhole requires exotic technology
以及闯入未知世界的勇气
and the courage to jump into the unknown.