VOA标准英语2010年-Physicists Discuss 'Big Bang Machine'

Scientists monitor the injection of proton and ion into the Large Hadron Collider, which is 100 meters underground near Geneva, Switzerland, 23 Oct 2009

A very specialized¹ group of scientists meets this month (July 22 - 28) in Paris for a biennial² conference on high energy physics and among the topics are the accomplishments³ of the Large Hadron Collider, more commonly known as the "Big Bang Machine."  The issues are complex, but are they too esoteric to mean much to the wider public?

It is a select community - about 10,000 scientists in the field of particle physics - studying the smallest bits of matter and energy in the universe, what they are made of and how they interact.

At this year's conference, scientists from the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) present their findings on experiments conducted on the Large Hadron Collider.  The giant scientific instrument, 100 meters underground near Geneva, sends beams of proton particles hurtling through tunnels at ever higher speeds and causes some of these particles to collide.

"What we are really trying to do is basically when we do these collisions at very high energy - we can produce a bundle of energy that can be then transformed into new particles," explains Professor Joe Incandela, the deputy head of one of the main experiments at the Collider. "We want to study these new particles and the reason is ...  that particles that do not even exist in the real world, that we do not necessarily see, but can exist, actually influence how the universe operates."

What does it do?

The Large Hadron Collider is often called the "Big Bang Machine" because it seeks to recreate the kind of energy that was present within a fraction of a second after the so-called Big Bang, the moment when scientists believe the universe was formed.  It understandably is fascinating for scientists, but is it of interest to only the select few and not for the broader public? 

Particle physicist⁴ William Murray, of Britain's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, thinks not. 

"I think you are making it sound too far away and too remote.  Actually what we are dealing⁵ with here is the way the world works now - everything you see interacting around us," said Murray.

Criticism

Murray says it is not the first time such scientific experiments have been labeled as too distant, too theoretical.

"The same discussion took place with electro-magnetism 150 years ago," said Murray.  "People said what is the point?  You are doing lab experiments on a field?  But, as we know today that electro-magnetism is central to a huge amount of our lives - all the paraphernalia⁶ of lights and computers and motors works through this phenomenon."

Scientists argue the quest for new frontiers and answers is age old, as Professor Incandela points out.

"What we are doing is part of something that has been going on - at least in Western civilization, at least maybe 3,500 years when the Greeks started asking questions about the physical world - it was exactly that line that led to the understanding of gravity with Galileo and Newton ...  Newton's formulas led to the mechanical capabilities⁷ of engineering that fostered the initial industrial revolution," said Incandela.  "The same line of investigation⁸ then spread into innovation of electricity of the light bulb.  With quantum mechanics you can design things like a transistor⁹, which leads to computing¹⁰."

Advance scouts¹¹

Incandela describes himself and his colleagues as the advance scouts looking for information that will feed future technology.  And, there is more, he says.

"It turns out that this stuff is so exciting to scientists that we draw a lot of brilliant people into our field and to do what we do, which is very difficult, we invent many new things," said Incandela.  "At CERN, because there are so many scientists working here from so many countries and we have to share so much information, it was at CERN that we developed something called the World Wide Web - the Web was born at this laboratory."

The Web has become a part of daily life for many people around the world.  Incandela says experimenting is just human nature.

"Maybe part of what humans are supposed to do is observe.  What we want to do as a race, if you like, is to understand our positions in the universe, and to do that, you have to understand the universe."

Maybe not just for the select few after all.

 

1 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

2 biennial   

adj.两年一次的

参考例句：

• The workers were strongly against the biennial election.工人们强烈反对两年一次的选举。
• His is a biennial,and one of the most useful pasture plants we have.这是两年生植物，也是我们最有用的牧草之一。

3 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 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。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 paraphernalia   

n.装备；随身用品

参考例句：

• Can you move all your paraphernalia out of the way?你可以把所有的随身物品移开吗？
• All my fishing paraphernalia is in the car.我的鱼具都在汽车里。

7 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 transistor   

n.晶体管，晶体管收音机

参考例句：

• This make of transistor radio is small and beautifully designed.这半导体收音机小巧玲珑。
• Every transistor has at least three electrodes.每个晶体管至少有三个电极。

10 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

11 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。