万物简史 第236期:马斯特-马克的夸克(8)

 　　Although quarks are much too small to have color or taste or any other physical characteristics we would recognize, they became clumped¹ into six categories—up, down, strange, charm, top, and bottom—which physicists³ oddly refer to as their "flavors," and these are further divided into the colors red, green, and blue. (One suspects that it was not altogether coincidental that these terms were first applied⁴ in California during the age of psychedelia.)

　　尽管夸克太小，不可能有颜色、味道或任何别的可以识别的化学特性，它们还是被分成六类──上、下、奇、粲、顶和底，物理学家们奇怪地把这些统称为它们的“味”；它们又进一步被分成红、绿和蓝三种颜色。（人们怀疑，这些名称原先在迷幻药时代在加利福尼亚州使用过。这不完全是一种巧合。）

　　夸克

　　Eventually out of all this emerged what is called the Standard Model, which is essentially⁵ a sort of parts kit⁶ for the subatomic world. The Standard Model consists of six quarks, six leptons, five known bosons and a postulated⁷ sixth, the Higgs boson (named for a Scottish scientist, Peter Higgs), plus three of the four physical forces: the strong and weak nuclear forces and electromagnetism.

　　最后，出现了所谓的标准模型。对亚原子世界来说，它实际上是一个元件箱。标准模型的组成成分是：6种夸克、6种轻子、5种已知的玻色子和1种假设的玻色子(即希格斯玻色子，以苏格兰科学家彼得·希格斯的名字命名），加上4种物理力中的3种：强核力、弱核力和电磁力。

　　The arrangement essentially is that among the basic building blocks of matter are quarks; these are held together by particles called gluons; and together quarks and gluons form protons and neutrons⁸, the stuff of the atom's nucleus⁹. Leptons are the source of electrons and neutrinos. Quarks and leptons together are called fermions. Bosons (named for the Indian physicist² S. N. Bose) are particles that produce and carry forces, and include photons and gluons. The Higgs boson may or may not actually exist; it was invented simply as a way of endowing particles with mass.

　　这种安排其实说明，在物质的基本材料中有夸克；夸克由名叫胶子的粒子黏合在一起；夸克和胶子一起形成了原子核的材料，即质子和中子。轻子是电子和中微子的来源。夸克和轻子统称为费密子。玻色子（以印度物理学家S.N.玻色的名字命名）是产生和携带力的粒子，包括光子和胶子。希格斯玻色子也许存在，也许不存在；这完全是为了赋予粒子质量而发明出来的。

1 clumped   

adj.[医]成群的v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的过去式和过去分词 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声

参考例句：

• The bacteria clumped together. 细菌凝集一团。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He clumped after her, up the stairs, into his barren office. 他拖着沉重的步伐跟在她的后面上楼了，走进了他那个空荡荡的诊所。 来自辞典例句

2 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

3 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。

4 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。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

7 postulated   

v.假定，假设( postulate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They postulated a 500-year lifespan for a plastic container. 他们假定塑料容器的寿命为500年。
• Freud postulated that we all have a death instinct as well as a life instinct. 弗洛伊德曾假定我们所有人都有生存本能和死亡本能。 来自辞典例句

8 neutrons   

n.中子( neutron的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The neutrons and protons form the core of the atom. 中子和质子构成了原子核。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When an atom of U235 is split,several neutrons are set free. 一个铀235原子分裂时，释放出几个中子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。