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HenryLin_2013Y-_从遥远的星系中我们可以学到什么_
Here are some images of clusters of galaxies . 這是一些星團的照片。
images:n.印象;声誉;形象;画像;雕像;(image的第三人称单数和复数) clusters:n.[植]簇;丛(cluster的复数形式);[计]群集; galaxies:n.银河; (galaxy的复数)
They're exactly what they sound like. 它們貌如其名,
They are these huge collections of galaxies, bound together by their mutual gravity. 是多個星系的龐大集合。 它們通過相互的引力而吸引在一起。
bound:n.跳跃:v.跳跃着跑:形成…的边界(或界限)adj.一定会:很可能会: mutual:adj.共同的;相互的,彼此的;
So most of the points that you see on the screen are not individual stars, but collections of stars, or galaxies. 因此,你在屏幕上看到的大部分的點 並非是單獨的恆星, 而是一系列恆星, 或者是我們所稱之星系。
individual:n.个人;有个性的人;adj.单独的;个别的;
Now, by showing you some of these images, 現在看了??這些圖片之後
I hope that you will quickly see that galaxy clusters are these beautiful objects, but more than that, 我希望你已經發現, 星團是多麼美麗的物體, 但絕非僅限於此
galaxy:n.银河;[天]星系;银河系;一群显赫的人;
I think galaxy clusters are mysterious , they are surprising, and they're useful. 我認為星團神秘莫測、 令人嘆為觀止, 並且具有巨大使用價值。
mysterious:adj.神秘的;不可思议的;难解的;
Useful as the universe's most massive laboratories . 其價值,就如同是 宇宙裡規模最大的實驗室。
massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的; laboratories:n.实验室;(laboratory的复数)
And as laboratories, to describe galaxy clusters is to describe the experiments that you can do with them. 要描述星團,就跟評估一個實驗室一樣,
describe:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;
And I think there are four major types, and the first type that I want to describe is probing the very big. 我認為這包括四種主要類型: 我想描述的第一類 是探測「極大」。
probing:n.探索; adj.探查性的; v.盘问; (probe的现在分词)
So, how big? 到底有多大？
Well, here is an image of a particular galaxy cluster. 這是某個星團的照片。
It is so massive that the light passing through it is being bent, it's being distorted by the extreme gravity of this cluster. 它的質量非常大, 以至於光在經過的時候, 也會由於其引力的作用, 而發生彎曲。
distorted:adj.歪曲的;受到曲解的;v.扭曲(distort的过去式和过去分词); extreme:adj.极端的;极度的;偏激的;尽头的;n.极端;末端;最大程度;极端的事物;
And, in fact, if you look very carefully you'll be able to see rings around this cluster. 事實上,如果你仔細看, 你能夠看到這個星團周圍的光環。
Now, to give you a number, this particular galaxy cluster has a mass of over one million billion suns. 如果要給出一個具體數字, 這個星團的質量 有超過10的15次方個太陽那麼大。
It's just mind-boggling how massive these systems can get. 這些系統質量之巨大 簡直讓人瞠目結舌。
mind-boggling:adj.令人难以置信的;令人惊异的;
But more than their mass, they have this additional feature. 但除了質量巨大這個特點之外, 它們還有其他特殊之處。
additional:adj.附加的,额外的;
They are essentially isolated systems, so if we like, we can think of them as a scaled-down version of the entire universe. 這些星系基本上可以是孤立的系統。 如果願意的話,我們可以將它們 想像為整個宇宙的縮小版。
essentially:adv.本质上;本来; isolated:adj.偏远的; v.隔离,孤立,脱离; scaled-down:adj.缩小比例的;
And many of the questions that we might have about the universe at large scales , such as, how does gravity work? 我們對於宏觀的宇宙 還存在很多疑問。 比如,引力是怎麼起作用的？
scales:n.规模范围; v.攀登; (scale的第三人称单数和复数)
might be answered by studying these systems. 這些問題可能可以通?研究這些系統來找到答案。
So that was very big. 這,就是「極大」。
The second things is very hot. 第二個,是「極熱」。
Okay, if I take an image of a galaxy cluster, and I subtract away all of the starlight , what I'm left with is this big, blue blob . 好的,如果我拿出一幅星團的照片, 去掉其中所有的星光, 剩下的,只是這個巨大的藍色斑塊。
subtract:v.减去; starlight:n.星光;adj.有星光的;星光照耀的; blob:n.一滴;一抹;v.弄脏;把…做错;得零分;
This is in false color. 當然,這些顏色都不是真的。
It's actually X-ray light that we're seeing. 我們實際看到的是X射線。
And the question is, if it's not galaxies, what is emitting this light? 但問題是,假如發出X射線的,不是這些星系, 又是什麼呢？
emitting:v.发出,射出,散发(光、热、声音、气等);(emit的现在分词)
The answer is hot gas, million-degree gas -- in fact, it's plasma . 答案是高溫氣體, 一百萬度的氣體。 事實上,這些氣體是等離子。
plasma:n.[等离子]等离子体;血浆;[矿物]深绿玉髓;
And the reason why it's so hot goes back to the previous slide. 而它們的溫度如此之高的原因, 在於前一張幻燈片。
previous:adj.以前的;早先的;过早的;adv.在先;在…以前;
The extreme gravity of these systems is accelerating particles of gas to great speeds, and great speeds means great temperatures. 這些系統的超強引力 將氣體粒子加速到非常高的速度, 而高速則意味著高溫。
accelerating:adj.促进的,[物]加速的;催化的; particles:n.微粒,粒子;粒子系统;碎木料(particle的复数形式);
So this is the main idea, but science is a rough draft . 這是主要的推測, 但是科學畢竟是一副草圖。
draft:n.草案; v.起草; adj.供役使的;
There are many basic properties about this plasma that still confuse us, still puzzle us, and still push our understanding of the physics of the very hot. 其中尚存在等離子氣體的很多基本特徵, 讓我們無法解釋, 仍然是個謎, 仍需不斷增加我們對超高溫物理的理解。
confuse:v.混同;使迷惑;使糊涂;使更难于理解; puzzle:n.谜;疑问;智力游戏;不解之谜;v.迷惑;使困惑;
Third thing: probing the very small. 第三個是:研究「極小」。
Now, to explain this, I need to tell you a very disturbing fact. 要解釋這個類型,我要向大家說 一件讓人困擾的事實。
disturbing:adj.引起烦恼的;令人不安的;v.打扰;干扰;搅乱;使不安;(disturb的现在分词)
Most of the universe's matter is not made up of atoms . 宇宙中的大部分物質 並非由原子構成。
made up of:由…组成,由…构成; atoms:n.[物]原子(atom的复数);
You were lied to. 你們以前都被騙了。
Most of it is made up of something very, very mysterious, which we call dark matter . 宇宙的大部分物質?非常神秘的物質組成, 我們稱之為暗物質。
dark matter:n.暗物质(根据一些理论,指太空中不反射光的物质);
Dark matter is something that doesn't like to interact very much, except through gravity, and of course we would like to learn more about it. 暗物質並不喜歡與周圍物質反應, 當然,我們也希望更多地了解暗物質。
interact:v.互相影响;互相作用;n.幕间剧;幕间休息;
If you're a particle physicist , you want to know what happens when we smash things together. 假設你是粒子物理學家, 你會想知道,物體撞擊時,會出現什麼情況。
physicist:n.物理学家;物理学研究者; smash:v.粉碎; n.破碎; adj.了不起的;
And dark matter is no exception . 暗物質也不例外。
exception:n.例外;异议;
Well, how do we do this? 那麼,我們該怎麼做呢？
To answer that question, 為了回答這個問題,
I'm going to have to ask another one, which is, what happens when galaxy clusters collide ? 我們不得不提出另一個問題。 那就是:要是星團發生碰撞,會有什麼結果？
collide:vi.碰撞;抵触,冲突;vt.使碰撞;使相撞;
Here is an image. 這是一張照片。
Since galaxy clusters are representative slices of the universe, scaled-down versions. 既然我們可以把星團 看作縮小版的宇宙。
representative:n.代表; adj.典型的; slices:n.切片,切割(slice的复数形式);v.切成薄片(slice的三单形式);
They are mostly made up of dark matter, and that's what you see in this bluish purple . 星團大部分也是由暗物質構成, 就是你所看到的藍紫色的那些。
bluish:adj.带蓝色的;有点蓝的; purple:n.紫色;紫袍;v.变紫;使成紫色;adj.紫色的;华丽的文辞;
The red represents the hot gas, and, of course, you can see many galaxies. 紅色代表高溫氣體, 當然,你可以看到很多星系。
represents:v.代表;维护…的利益;相当于;(represent的第三人称单数)
What's happened is a particle accelerator at a huge, huge scale. 這些就相當於 一部巨型粒子加速器。
accelerator:n.油门;催化剂;[机]加速装置;
And this is very important, because what it means is that very, very small effects that might be difficult to detect in the lab, might be compounded and compounded into something that we could possibly observe in nature. 這很重要, 因為這意味著 可能由於基數不斷地疊加, 而使我們於自然界觀測得到。
detect:vt.察觉;发现;探测; compounded:adj.[生物]复合的,化合的;v.混合;组成(compound的过去式和过去分词); observe:v.观察;看到;庆祝;监视;
So, it's very funny. 相當有趣。
The reason why galaxy clusters can teach us about dark matter, the reason why galaxy clusters can teach us about the physics of the very small, is precisely because they are so very big. 為什麼星團可以 教我們暗物質的知識？ 為什麼星團可以指?「極小」物質之物理？ 這正正是因為星團相當巨型。
Fourth thing: the physics of the very strange. 第四個:「奇異」之物的物理。
Certainly what I've said so far is crazy. 我剛才說的聽上去已經很瘋狂了,
Okay, if there's anything stranger 但是,如果有比那些更瘋狂的,
I think it has to be dark energy. 我認為就是暗能量了。
If I throw a ball into the air, 我把一個球扔向空中,
I expect it to go up. 我會預計它將上升,
What I don't expect is that it go up at an ever-increasing rate. 但是我不會想到
ever-increasing:adj.不断增长的;
Similarly , cosmologists understand why the universe is expanding . 同樣道理,宇宙學家們理解 為什麼宇宙在膨脹。
Similarly:adv.同样地;类似于; cosmologists:n.宇宙论者,宇宙学家; expanding:v.扩大,增加,增强细谈;详述;(expand的现在分词)
They don't understand why it's expanding at an ever-increasing rate. 但他們不理解的是
They give the cause of this accelerated expansion a name, and they call it dark energy. 他們給引起加速膨脹的原因 取了個名字, 叫做暗能量。
accelerated:v.(使)加速;加速;加快(accelerate的过去分词和过去式) expansion:n.扩张;膨胀;扩展;扩大;
And, again, we want to learn more about it. 同樣,我們希望更多地了解暗能量。
So, one particular question that we have is, how does dark energy affect the universe at the largest scales? 其中一個問題是 暗能量是如何在 最大程度上影響宇宙？
Depending on how strong it is, maybe structure forms faster or slower. 這取決於能量的強弱, 或者結構的形成的快慢。
structure:n.结构;构造;建筑物;vt.组织;构成;建造;
Well, the problem with the large-scale structure of the universe is that it's horribly complicated . 但是這個擁有如此?宇宙所存在的問題是 宇宙大得恐怖。
large-scale:adj.大规模的,大范围的;大比例尺的; horribly:adv.可怕地;让人吃惊 complicated:adj.复杂的;难懂的;v.使复杂化;(complicate的过去分词和过去式)
Here is a computer simulation . 這是一張電腦模擬圖。
simulation:n.仿真;模拟;模仿;假装;
And we need a way to simplify it. 我們需要想方法簡化它。
simplify:vt.简化;使单纯;使简易;
Well, I like to think about this using an analogy . 我喜歡用類比的方式來看待它。
analogy:n.类比;类推;类似;
If I want to understand the sinking of the Titanic , the most important thing to do is not to model the little positions of every single little piece of the boat that broke off. 如果我想理解鐵達尼號沉沒的過程, 最重要的, 不是去模擬船身所有碎片的位置。
Titanic:adj.巨大的;强大的;极端重要的;四价钛的;
The most important thing to do is to track the two biggest parts. 最重要的是, 追踪船體最大的兩個斷裂快的位置。
track:n.小道;足迹;车辙;轨道;v.追踪;跟踪;
Similarly, I can learn a lot about the universe at the largest scales by tracking its biggest pieces and those biggest pieces are clusters of galaxies. 同樣,我可以通過追踪 宇宙中最大的部件, 對宇宙有最大程度的了解, 而最大的部件就是這些星團。
tracking:n.追踪,跟踪;v.跟踪;(track的现在分词)
So, as I come to a close, you might feel slightly cheated. 現在我即將結尾。 大家可能覺得有點上當了。
slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地;
I mean, I began by talking about how galaxy clusters are useful, and I've given some reasons, but what is their use really? 我的意思是, 一開始我談到星團具有哪些價值。 我也給了一些理由。 但是他們真正的用處在哪裡呢？
Well, to answer this, 為了回答這個
I want to give you a quote by Henry Ford when he was asked about cars. 我要引用亨利·福特的一句話。 當有人問他關於汽車的事情時,
quote:v.引用;报价;举例说明;开价;为(企业的股份)上市;n.引用; Ford:n.福特[姓氏];浅滩;v.涉(水);渡河;津渡;
He had this to say: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." 他這樣說: 「如果我之前問人們他們想要什麼, 他們只會回答說,更快的馬。」
Today, we as a society are faced with many, many difficult problems. 如今,我們社會面臨很多、很多棘手的問題。
And the solutions to these problems are not obvious . 這些問題的解決之道並非顯而易見。
obvious:adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;
They are not faster horses. 辦法不是「更快的馬」。
They will require an enormous amount of scientific ingenuity . 而是需要更多的科學智慧。
enormous:adj.庞大的,巨大的;凶暴的,极恶的; scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; ingenuity:n.心灵手巧,独创性;精巧;精巧的装置;
So, yes, we need to focus, yes, we need to concentrate , but we also need to remember that innovation , ingenuity, inspiration -- these things come when we broaden our field of vision when we step back when we zoom out. 所以沒錯,我們需要有針對性, 我們需要專心, 但我們也要謹記, 創新、創造力和靈感, 當我們開闊眼界時, 當我們退後一步時, 當我們聚焦問題時, 這三樣——創新、創造力和靈感——自會來到。
concentrate:n.浓缩物;v.聚精会神;集中(注意力);使…集中(或集合、聚集);(使)浓缩; innovation:n.创新,革新;新方法; broaden:v.加宽;变宽;(broaden的现在分词) field of vision:n.视野;
And I can't think of a better way to do this than by studying the universe around us. Thanks. 要做到以上,恐怕?研究學習我們周圍的宇宙, 就別無其他更好的辦法了。謝謝。
(Applause) （掌聲）