经济学人255:桌面上的天体物理学 怎样构建多元宇宙

 　　Science and technology

　　科学技术

　　Table-top astrophysics

　　桌面上的天体物理学

　　How to build a multiverse

　　怎样构建多元宇宙

　　Small models of cosmic phenomena¹ are shedding light on the real thing

　　微小模型逐步揭开宇宙中各种现象的奥秘

　　THE heavens do not lend themselves to poking² and prodding³.

　　苍穹由不得人随意翻弄。

　　Astronomers⁴ therefore have no choice but to rely on whatever data the cosmos⁵ deigns⁶ to throw at them.

　　天文学家只能使用上天随意赏赐的数据资料，除此之外别无选择。

　　And they have learnt a lot this way.

　　不过，他们从中已获悉良多。

　　Thus you can even study chemistry in space that would be impossible in a laboratory.

　　现在甚至能在宇宙中完成一些实验室里无法进行的化学研究。

　　Some astronomers, though, are dissatisfied with being passive observers.

　　但一些天文学家并不满足于被动观察。

　　Real scientists, they think, do experiments.

　　他们认为，真正的科学家应该动手实验。

　　It is impossible—not to mention inadvisable—to get close enough to a star or a black hole to manipulate it experimentally.

　　且不论明智与否，要接近星体或黑洞进行实验操作根本毫无可能。

　　But some think it might be possible to make meaningful analogues⁷ of such things, and even of the universe itself, and experiment on those instead.

　　但有人认为，也许可以模拟这些星体、黑洞甚至整个宇宙并对其进行实验。

　　Ben Murdin of the University of Surrey, for example, has been making white dwarfs¹⁰.

　　比如，萨利大学的本·默丁就一直在模拟白矮星。

　　A white dwarf⁹ is the stellar equivalent of a shrunken but feisty old-age pensioner¹¹.

　　白矮星像是退休的恒星，干瘪瘦小但老当益壮。

　　It has run out of fuel and is contracting and cooling as it heads towards oblivion—but taking its time about it.

　　它的燃料已经耗尽，不断收缩冷却，走向死亡的尽头—只是时间极为漫长。

　　As they shrink white dwarfs pack a mass up to eight times the suns into a volume the size of Earth.

　　在这一过程中，白矮星能将重达8个太阳的物质压缩至地球大小。

　　A consequence of stuffing so much matter into so little space is that white dwarfs have powerful magnetic fields.

　　把这么多东西塞进如此狭小的空间导致白矮星的磁场非常强大。

　　Many aspects of a white dwarfs mechanics, including how long it will last, are thought to depend on its magnetism¹². But it is hard to measure.

　　人们认为白矮星演化过程的诸多方面都决定于它的磁性，包括演化持续的时间。但其磁场一直难以测定。

　　To make estimates, scientists examine the light a white dwarf emits for telltale patterns left by stellar ingredients like hydrogen.

　　为进行估测，科学家研究了白矮星发射的光线，在其中寻找氢等星体组成元素留下的踪迹，

　　They then compare this spectrum¹³ with a theory, based on calculations from first principles, of how magnetic fields effect light emitted by hydrogen.

　　然后将这段光谱与基于第一性原理计算，描述磁场对氢发射光线的影响的理论进行对比。

　　The predictions agree with experiments up to the strongest fields mankind can muster—about 1,000 tesla, generated in a thermonuclear detonator.

　　结果与目前最强的人造磁场造成的影响相当。

　　The problem is that the theory puts white dwarfs magnetic fields at 100,000 tesla or more, well beyond humanitys reach.

　　但问题是，根据上述理论，白矮星的磁场强度应为100000特斯拉甚至更强，远远超出人类可及的范围。

　　Dr Murdin built his own little white dwarf to see if the theory looked good.

　　为检验理论是否适用，默丁博士创造了自己的微型白矮星。

　　It consists of a silicon¹⁴ crystal sprinkled with phosphorus atoms.

　　他在硅晶中加入少量磷原子。

　　A silicon atom has four electrons in its outer shell.

　　硅原子最外层有4个电子，

　　In a crystal, all four are used to bind¹⁵ it to neighbouring atoms.

　　在晶体中，它们都用于与相邻原子结键相连。

　　Phosphorus has five outer electrons.

　　璘的最外层则有5个电子。

　　Insert a phosphorus atom into the silicon lattice and you are left with an unused electron.

　　将磷原子嵌入硅晶格，就会余下1个电子用不到。

　　Since phosphorus also has one more proton in its nucleus¹⁶ than silicon does, taken together the extra particles resemble a hydrogen atom:

　　璘原子核中的质子也比硅多1个，电子与这个多出来的粒子就构成类似氢原子的结构：

　　a single electron tethered to a single proton.

　　1个电子围绕1个质子运动。

　　However, the extra electron is much less tightly held by the extra proton in this pseudo-hydrogen than it would be in real hydrogen.

　　然而，与真正的氢原子相比，这个仿制品中的质子对电子的约束力要小得多，这意味着要使其光谱发生预设改变所需的磁力也没有真的氢原子那么强。

　　This weaker grasp means that it takes much less magnetism to make a given change in the pseudo-hydrogens spectrum than it would for real hydrogen.

　　由于吉尔福德的实验室缺少相关设备，默丁博士在荷兰内梅亨大学完成了实验。

　　So when Dr Murdin placed the crystal in a 30-tesla magnet at Radboud University in the Netherlands, he was mimicking¹⁸ the conditions in a 100,000-tesla white dwarf.

　　他将晶体磁场环境设为30特斯拉，该环境相当于白矮星100000特斯拉的磁场。结果表明，

　　And the spectrum came out looking just the way the theory predicted.

　　光谱符合理论计算。

　　A black hole in a bath…

　　水盆里的黑洞

　　Creating a star in a laboratory is small beer compared with creating a black hole.

　　与生成黑洞相比，在实验室里造星星不过是小菜一碟。

　　This is an object that is so massive and dense¹⁹ that not even light can flee its gravitational field.

　　黑洞的质量、密度极大，连光线都无法从它的重力场中逃逸。

　　Looking inside one is therefore, by definition, impossible.

　　因此要观察其内部结构显然是不可能的。

　　All the more reason to try, says Silke Weinfurtner of the International School for Advanced Studies, in Trieste, Italy.

　　意大利的里雅斯特市国际高等研究学院的西尔克·魏因富特纳说，这使其更值得一试。

　　Dr Weinfurtner plans to make her black hole in the bath.

　　魏因富特纳博士打算在水盆里做黑洞。

　　The bath in question, properly called a flume, is a water-filled receptacle 3 metres by 1.5 metres and 50cm deep, across which carefully crafted trains of ripples²⁰ can pass.

　　这里所说的水盆应被称为水槽，是一个长3米、宽1.5米、高50厘米的盛水容器，能允许精心生成的波动序列通过。

　　In the middle of the tank is a plug hole.

　　水槽中央有一个孔塞，

　　If the water going down the hole rotates faster than the ripples can propagate, the ripples which stray beyond the aqueous event horizon will not make it out.

　　如果水从这里流失时旋转的速度比波动传播的还快，那进入水视界的波动就无法再逃出视界，

　　They are sucked down the drain.

　　它们被吸进了排水管。

　　Then the researchers will check whether the simulacrum affects water waves in a way analogous²¹ to that which general relativity predicts for light—itself a wave—approaching an astrophysical black hole.

　　随后研究人员将查看，这种现象对水波的影响，是否与广义相对论预言的黑洞对接近它的光线影响相似。

　　According to Albert Einsteins theory, a region immediately outside the event horizon of a rotating black hole will be dragged round by the rotation²².

　　阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦的理论指出，视界外的空间会因黑洞旋转产生拖曳现象。

　　Any wave that enters this region but does not stray past the event horizon should be deflected²³ and come out with more energy than it carried on the way in.

　　进入该区域的波动，如果未穿过视界，就会发生偏折，且携带的能量增大。

　　To detect this super-radiant scattering²⁴, as the effect is called, Dr Weinfurtner will add fluorescent²⁵ dye to the water and illuminate²⁶ the surface waves with lasers.

　　这种现象被称为超辐射散射，为进行观察，魏因富特纳博士在水中添加了荧光染料并用激光照射表面波，

　　The waves, often no bigger than one millimetre, can then be detected using high-definition cameras.

　　如此一来，就可使用高清相机观测波长不足毫米的波动。

　　Stefano Liberati, Dr Weinfurtners colleague in Trieste, reserves the greatest enthusiasm for another aspect of the experiment.

　　魏因富特纳博士在的里雅斯特的同事斯蒂凡诺·利博拉蒂对实验中另一个问题很感兴趣。

　　It might, if the researchers are lucky enough, offer clues to the nature of space-time.

　　如果研究人员足够幸运的话，实验可能会给出关于时空本质的线索。

　　Could the cosmic fabric²⁷ be made up of discrete²⁸ chunks²⁹, atoms of space if you like, rather than being continuous, as is assumed by relativity?

　　宇宙会不会是由离散的粒子组成—若你愿意，也可称为原子的宇宙—而非像相对论假定的那样是连续的？

　　This problem has perplexed³⁰ physicists³¹ for decades.

　　这个问题已经困扰了物理学家几十年。

　　Many suspect black holes hold the answer, because they are sites where continuous relativity meets chunky quantum physics.

　　很多人认为答案就在黑洞之中，因为在这里，连续相对论与离散的量子力学相遇了。

　　Waterborne holes serve as a proxy³².

　　水中的孔洞代表黑洞。

　　Water is, after all, made up of just such discrete chunks: molecules³³ of H2O.

　　水由离散的粒子即H2O分子构成。

　　As wavelengths³⁴ fall—equivalent to rising energy—waves reach a point where the size of molecules may begin to influence how they behave.

　　随着波长减小，达到某一特定值后，波可能就会开始受到分子大小的影响。

　　If Dr Weinfurtner and Dr Liberati observe some strange behaviour around their event horizons, theorists will be thrilled.

　　如果魏因富特纳和利博拉蒂博士在视界外围观察到波的反常表现，理论学家将会为此兴奋不已。

　　And home-brewed universes

　　还有自造的宇宙

　　Even benchtop black holes, though, are nothing compared with the ambitions of Igor Smolyaninov of the University of Maryland.

　　若是跟马里兰大学伊戈尔·斯诺利亚尼诺夫的抱负比起来，实验台上的黑洞也不值一提了。

　　For Dr Smolyaninov wants to create entire universes.

　　斯诺利亚尼诺夫博士打算再造一个宇宙。

　　The way light travels through the four dimensions of space-time is mathematically akin⁸ to how it moves through metamaterial.

　　从数学描述来看，光在四维时空中的运动与在超材料中的相似。

　　These are substances with features measured in nanometres, or billionths of a metre, which let them bend light in unusual ways.

　　超材料的很多特性都需在纳米层面上刻画，因此光线穿过时会产生异常弯曲。

　　For example they can force light to skirt along the outside of an object, hiding it from view as if behind an invisibility cloak.

　　比如说，这种材料能使光沿物体表面运动，如此一来物体就好像藏在了隐形斗篷后面无法观测。

　　Space-time, too, bends light, in ways that depend on how mass is distributed within it.

　　同样，时空也可以使光线弯曲，具体方式取决于其中的质量分布。

　　In principle, then, metamaterials ought to be able to mimic¹⁷ how light moves not just through the space-time scientists on Earth are familiar with, but also other possible space-times to which they do not, and never will, have access.

　　原则上，超材料应该能模拟光在不同时空中的运动，这既包括地球上的科学家们熟悉的时空，也包括他们现在以及将来都接触不到的时空。

　　Two years ago Dr Smolyaninov suggested an experiment with various metamaterials, corresponding to universes with different properties lashed³⁵ together into a home-brewed multiverse.

　　两年前，斯诺利亚尼诺夫设计了一个实验，他以不同的超材料代表特性各异的宇宙，将其聚合在一起形成自造的多元宇宙。

　　In a paper to be published in Optics Express, he and his colleagues report that they have succeeded.

　　在《光学快报》即将发表的论文中，斯诺利亚尼诺夫等宣布实验已取得成功。

　　Rather than fine-tune metamaterial to exact specifications³⁶, which is finicky and expensive, the researchers used nanoparticles of cobalt, which are relatively³⁷ easy to get hold of, and suspended them in kerosene³⁸.

　　研究人员并未对超材料进行微调使其达到精确的参数，因为这样工序繁琐、耗资巨大，而是把相对容易控制的纳米级钴颗粒悬浮在煤油中。

　　They then applied³⁹ a magnetic field which, thanks to cobalt's ferromagnetic⁴⁰ nature, arranged the particles into thin columns.

　　钴具有铁磁性，因此他们可以施加磁场，使粒子构成一个个细长的圆柱。

　　In space-time terms the length of the columns is time and the two axes perpendicular⁴¹ to the length represent the three spatial⁴² dimensions in a real universe.

　　与时空进行类比，圆柱的长度代表时间，与柱长垂直的两轴则代表真实宇宙中的三维空间。

　　To build his multiverse, Dr Smolyaninov added slightly less cobalt to the kerosene, about 8% by volume, than was needed to maintain stable nanocolumns.

　　为构建多元宇宙，斯诺利亚尼诺夫向煤油中加入适量钴颗粒，约为维持稳定纳米柱所需体积的92%。

　　Natural fluctuations⁴³ in the density⁴⁴ of the fluid then lead to the spontaneous erection of transient nanocolumns—equivalent to space-times popping up only to fizzle and re-emerge elsewhere in the multiverse.

　　自然状态下液体密度的变化会使纳米柱不断自发形成、坍塌，就像时空在多元宇宙中突然生成、走向消亡，又在其他地方再次出现。

　　They could be detected by their effect on polarised light shone through the material.

　　偏振光穿过该液体时会受到纳米柱的作用，通过这一效应即可检测纳米柱。

　　Whether all this ingenuity⁴⁵ unravels⁴⁶ any cosmic truth is uncertain.

　　这一创新之举能否揭示宇宙的真相还有待检验。

　　Cliff Burgess, a theorist at Perimeter⁴⁷ Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, has his doubts.

　　安大略省普里美特理论物理研究所的理论学家克里夫·伯吉斯对此也心存怀疑。

　　But he thinks that such experiments are nevertheless worth pursuing.

　　但他认为这样的实验还是仍然值得尝试。

　　Like tap-dancing snakes, he says, the point is not that they do it well, it is that they do it at all.

　　就像跳踢踏舞的蛇一样，他说，重点不在于他们做得好不好，而在于他们是否去做了。

　　1.shed light on 为…提供线索；对…透露情况；使…清楚地显出

　　However, the report also shed light on some grim realities of begging.

　　然而，这项调查也揭示了一些乞讨行为中严酷的现实。

　　The work, published in the journal science, may shed light on how horses were domesticated⁴⁸.

　　颁布于《科学》杂志上的作品可能会把马是如何被驯养清楚地揭示出来。

　　2.rely on 信赖； 依赖；依靠

　　We rely on corporations like bp to bring us energy.

　　我们依靠像bp这样的公司来供给我们能源。

　　The firm cannot rely on reputation forever.

　　公司不可能永远依赖其名声。

　　3.not to mention 更不用说；不消说

　　All this uncertainty⁴⁹ is difficult for state bureaucrats⁵⁰, not to mention hospitals and insurers.

　　所有这一系列不确定对政府官僚来说都很艰难，更别说对医院和保险公司了。

　　No longer is private banking⁵¹ deemed socially or intellectually inferior not to mention less well paid.

　　人们不再认为，私人银行业在社会地位或知识方面低人一等更别说薪酬比别人低了。

1 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。

2 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

3 prodding   

v.刺，戳( prod的现在分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• He needed no prodding. 他不用督促。
• The boy is prodding the animal with a needle. 那男孩正用一根针刺那动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 cosmos   

n.宇宙；秩序，和谐

参考例句：

• Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。
• Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

6 deigns   

v.屈尊，俯就( deign的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She scarcely deigns a glance at me. 她简直不屑看我一眼。 来自辞典例句

7 analogues   

相似物( analogue的名词复数 )； 类似物； 类比； 同源词

参考例句：

• A vegetarian gets protein not from meat but from its analogues. 素食者所摄取的蛋白质不是来自肉类而是来自近似肉类的食物。
• Moreover, it tends to foster the human qualities that I admire most-courage and its analogues. 不但如此，它还能培养我最景仰的那些德性-勇敢和诸如此类的东西。

8 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

9 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

10 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

11 pensioner   

n.领养老金的人

参考例句：

• The tax threshold for a single pensioner is$ 445.单身领退休年金者的纳税起点为445英镑。
• It was the pensioner's vote late in the day that influenced the election of Mr.Sweet.最后是领取养老金者的选票影响了斯威特先生的当选。

12 magnetism   

n.磁性，吸引力，磁学

参考例句：

• We know about magnetism by the way magnets act.我们通过磁铁的作用知道磁性是怎么一回事。
• His success showed his magnetism of courage and devotion.他的成功表现了他的胆量和热诚的魅力。

13 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

14 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

15 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

16 nucleus   

n.核，核心，原子核

参考例句：

• These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
• These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。

17 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

18 mimicking   

v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的现在分词 )；酷似

参考例句：

• She's always mimicking the teachers. 她总喜欢模仿老师的言谈举止。
• The boy made us all laugh by mimicking the teacher's voice. 这男孩模仿老师的声音，逗得我们大家都笑了。 来自辞典例句

19 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

20 ripples   

逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
• The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

21 analogous   

adj.相似的；类似的

参考例句：

• The two situations are roughly analogous.两种情況大致相似。
• The company is in a position closely analogous to that of its main rival.该公司与主要竞争对手的处境极为相似。

22 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

23 deflected   

偏离的

参考例句：

• The ball deflected off Reid's body into the goal. 球打在里德身上反弹进球门。
• Most of its particles are deflected. 此物质的料子大多是偏斜的。

24 scattering   

n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散

参考例句：

• The child felle into a rage and began scattering its toys about. 这孩子突发狂怒，把玩具扔得满地都是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmers are scattering seed. 农夫们在播种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 fluorescent   

adj.荧光的，发出荧光的

参考例句：

• They observed the deflections of the particles by allowing them to fall on a fluorescent screen.他们让粒子落在荧光屏上以观察他们的偏移。
• This fluorescent lighting certainly gives the food a peculiar color.这萤光灯当然增添了食物特别的色彩。

26 illuminate   

vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释

参考例句：

• Dreams kindle a flame to illuminate our dark roads.梦想点燃火炬照亮我们黑暗的道路。
• They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject.他们用游戏和图画来阐明他们的主题。

27 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

28 discrete   

adj.个别的，分离的，不连续的

参考例句：

• The picture consists of a lot of discrete spots of colour.这幅画由许多不相连的色点组成。
• Most staple fibers are discrete,individual entities.大多数短纤维是不联系的单独实体。

29 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

30 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

31 physicists   

物理学家( physicist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说，这是受挫折的一年。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
• Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。

32 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

33 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

34 wavelengths   

n.波长( wavelength的名词复数 )；具有相同的/不同的思路；合拍；不合拍

参考例句：

• I find him difficult to talk to—we're on completely different wavelengths. 我没法和他谈话，因为我们俩完全不对路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Sunlight consists of different wavelengths of radiation. 阳光由几种不同波长的射线组成。 来自辞典例句

35 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

36 specifications   

n.规格；载明；详述；（产品等的）说明书；说明书( specification的名词复数 )；详细的计划书；载明；详述

参考例句：

• Our work must answer the specifications laid down. 我们的工作应符合所定的规范。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This sketch does not conform with the specifications. 图文不符。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

37 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

38 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

39 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

40 ferromagnetic   

adj.铁磁的, 铁磁体

参考例句：

• Materials which have magnetic properties similar to iron are ferromagnetic.具有类似于铁那样的磁性的材料就是铁磁物质。
• It is sometimes difficult to draw the line separating ferromagnetic from paramagnetic substances.严格区别铁磁性与顺磁性物质有时是很困难的。

41 perpendicular   

adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The two lines of bones are set perpendicular to one another.这两排骨头相互垂直。
• The wall is out of the perpendicular.这墙有些倾斜。

42 spatial   

adj.空间的，占据空间的

参考例句：

• This part of brain judges the spatial relationship between objects.大脑的这部分判断物体间的空间关系。
• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。

43 fluctuations   

波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table. 他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• There were so many unpredictable fluctuations on the Stock Exchange. 股票市场瞬息万变。

44 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

45 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

46 unravels   

解开，拆散，散开( unravel的第三人称单数 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚

参考例句：

• Khrushchev's Cold War unravels the tangled contradictions in his leadership of the Communist Party. 赫鲁晓夫的冷战》这本书揭示出赫鲁晓夫作为共产党的领袖，面临着一些棘手的问题。

47 perimeter   

n.周边，周长，周界

参考例句：

• The river marks the eastern perimeter of our land.这条河标示我们的土地东面的边界。
• Drinks in hands,they wandered around the perimeter of the ball field.他们手里拿着饮料在球场周围漫不经心地遛跶。

48 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

49 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

50 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句

51 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。