万物简史 第239期:马斯特-马克的夸克(11)

 　　String theory has further spawned¹ something called "M theory," which incorporates surfaces known as membranes—or simply "branes" to the hipper² souls of the world of physics. I'm afraid this is the stop on the knowledge highway where most of us must get off. Here is a sentence from the New York Times, explaining this as simply as possible to a general audience: "The ekpyrotic process begins far in the indefinite past with a pair of flat empty branes sitting parallel to each other in a warped³ five-dimensional space... The two branes, which form the walls of the fifth dimension, could have popped out of nothingness as a quantum fluctuation⁴ in the even more distant past and then drifted apart." No arguing with that. No understanding it either. Ekpyrotic, incidentally, comes from the Greek word for "conflagration⁵."

　　弦理论又进一步产生了所谓的M理论。该理论把所谓“膜”的面，纳入了物理学世界的灵魂。说到这里，我们恐怕到了知识公路的站点，大多数人该下车了。下面引了《纽约时报》上的一句话，它以尽可能简单的语言向普通读者解释了这种理论：在那遥远遥远的过去，火成过程以一对又平又空的膜开始；它们互相平行地处于一个卷曲的5维空间里……两张膜构成了第5维的壁，很可能在更遥远的过去作为一个量子涨落产生于无，然后又飘散了。无法与之争辩，也无法理解。顺便说一句，“火成”源自希腊文，意为“燃烧”。

　　夸克星球

　　Matters in physics have now reached such a pitch that, as Paul Davies noted⁶ in Nature, it is "almost impossible for the non-scientist to discriminate⁷ between the legitimately⁸ weird⁹ and the outright¹⁰ crackpot." The question came interestingly to a head in the fall of 2002 when two French physicists¹¹, twin brothers Igor and Grickha Bogdanov, produced a theory of ambitious density¹² involving such concepts as "imaginary time" and the "Kubo-Schwinger-Martin condition," and purporting¹³ to describe the nothingness that was the universe before the Big Bang—a period that was always assumed to be unknowable (since it predated the birth of physics and its properties).

　　现在，物理学的问题已经达到这样的一种高度，正如保罗·戴维斯在《自然》杂志里说的，“非物理学家几乎不可能区分你是合乎常情的怪人，还是彻头彻尾的疯子”。有意思的是，2002年秋，这个问题到了关键时刻。两位法国物理学家──孪生兄弟伊戈尔·波格丹诺夫和格里希卡·波格丹诺夫──提出了一种关于极高密度的理论，包括“想像的时间”和“库珀─施温格─马丁条件”这样的概念，旨在描述无，即大爆炸以前的宇宙──这段时间一直被认为是无法知道的（因为它发生在物理现象及其特性诞生之前）。

1 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

2 hipper   

hip（（衣服、音乐等方面）时髦的，赶时髦的）的比较级形式

参考例句：

• So were the two pocket battleships and the big cruisers Admiral Hipper, Seydlitz and Derfflinger. 和这两艘袖珍战列舰一样的还有重巡洋舰希佩海军上将号，赛德利兹号以及德尔福林格号。 来自互联网

3 warped   

adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾，

参考例句：

• a warped sense of humour 畸形的幽默感
• The board has warped. 木板翘了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 fluctuation   

n.(物价的)波动，涨落；周期性变动；脉动

参考例句：

• The erratic fluctuation of market prices are in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。
• Early and adequate drainage is essential if fluctuation occurs.有波动感时，应及早地充分引流。

5 conflagration   

n.建筑物或森林大火

参考例句：

• A conflagration in 1947 reduced 90 percent of the houses to ashes.1947年的一场大火，使90%的房屋化为灰烬。
• The light of that conflagration will fade away.这熊熊烈火会渐渐熄灭。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

8 legitimately   

ad.合法地；正当地，合理地

参考例句：

• The radio is legitimately owned by the company. 该电台为这家公司所合法拥有。
• She looked for nothing save what might come legitimately and without the appearance of special favour. 她要的并不是男人们的额外恩赐，而是合法正当地得到的工作。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

10 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

11 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。

12 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。

13 purporting   

v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Cindy Adams (Columnist) : He's purporting to be Mother Teresa. 辛迪？亚当斯（专栏作家）：他无意成为德兰修女。 来自互联网
• To prohibit certain practices purporting to be sales by auction. 本条例旨在对看来是以拍卖方式作出的售卖中某些行为予以禁止。 来自互联网