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在俄罗斯小镇捕捉中微子
添加时间:2018-07-31 17:00:38 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • Just over the border from Georgia, in the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia, lies a small town called Neytrino. For the last half-century, its main business has been the study of the tiniest insubstantial bit of matter in the universe, an ephemeral fly-by-night subatomic particle called the neutrino.

    在俄罗斯南部高加索山脉比邻格鲁吉亚的地方,有一个名叫涅特里诺的小镇。在过去的半个世纪里,这个小镇上的主要工作是研究宇宙中最微小、最虚无缥缈的物质,即很难捕捉到的、转瞬即逝的中微子。

    This is the home of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory1, a warren of tunnels and laboratories burrowed2 two miles into a mountain, sheltered from the outside universe and cosmic rays underneath3 12,000 feet of rock. There vats4 of liquid wait to record the flight of neutrinos from the center of the sun, from exploding stars, atomic reactors5 and the Big Bang itself, carrying messages through time. Neutrinos are the ghost riders of the cosmos7, mostly impervious8 to the forces, like electromagnetism, with which other denizens9 of nature interact. Neutrinos cruise unmolested through rocks, the earth and even our bodies. In the words of a famous poem by John Updike, they “insult the stallion in his stall.”

    巴克桑中微子观测站就坐落在这个小镇上。这个建在一座大山下的观测站由狭小的隧道和实验室组成,从山洞口进去约有3.6公里,上面覆盖着3500多米厚的岩石,以减少来自宇宙外部的宇宙射线的影响。一桶桶的液体在这里等待着记录不同来源的、携带着穿越时空信息的中微子,它们有的来自太阳的中心,有的来自爆炸的恒星,有的来自核反应堆,也有的来自大爆炸本身。中微子是宇宙中的幽灵骑手,它们基本上不受电磁这样的力量影响,不像其他的自然万物那样会与之相互作用。中微子能不受干扰地穿越岩石、土壤,甚至不知不觉地穿越我们的身体。正如约翰·厄普代克(John Updike)那句名诗所说,它们敢于“冒犯马厩中的牡马”。

    The most delicate measurements so far indicate that an individual neutrino weighs less than a millionth what an electron weighs. Baksan is not the only place dedicated10 to their surreal pursuit.

    目前为止最精确的测量显示,中微子的质量不到电子质量的百万分之一。巴克桑不是唯一致力于这种超现实事业的地方。

    The men and women in these photographs, taken by Maxim11 Babenko last year, share an underground union with scientists scattered12 around the world in equally deep places: the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the former Homestake gold mine in Lead, S.D.; the Gran Sasso National Laboratory, beneath the mountain of that name in Italy; the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory in Ontario, Canada; the Super-Kamiokande, deep within Mount Ikeno, Japan; and IceCube, an array of detectors13 buried in ice at the South Pole.

    马克西姆·巴本科(Maxim Babenko)去年拍摄的这些照片中的男男女女们,与世界各地的深地实验室的科学家们同属于一个地下联盟。这些深地实验室包括:位于美国南卡罗来纳州里德一座废弃金矿里的桑福德地下研究所(Sanford Underground Research Facility),位于意大利同名山脉下的格兰萨索国家实验室,位于加拿大安大略省的萨德伯里中微子观测站(Sudbury Neutrino Observatory),位于日本池野山深处的超级神冈观测站(Super-Kamiokande),以及埋在南极下面冰层中的一个名为冰立方(IceCube)的探测器阵列。

    All of them are trying to listen to quantum whispers about the nature of reality. One of Baksan’s biggest claims to fame to date was to catch neutrinos emitted by thermonuclear reactions in the center of the sun in nearly 60 tons of liquid gallium. The experiment, called S.A.G.E., for Soviet15-American Gallium Experiment, proved that scientists actually do know what powers our favorite star, source of our life and light.

    所有这些中微子实验室的工作者们都在试图倾听量子中透露的实在本质。到目前为止,让巴克桑最有名的成就之一是,用近60吨的液态镓捕捉到了太阳中心的热核反应发射的中微子。这个名为“苏联-美国镓实验”(Soviet-American Gallium Experiment,简称SAGE)的实验证明,科学家的确知道是什么在驱动我们最爱的恒星,地球上生命和光的来源。

    Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the scientists in Baksan have had to fend16 off both thieves and the Russian government to keep their gallium, an element that goes for some $500 a kilogram. Physicists17 know that neutrinos come in at least three flavors, known as electron, muon and tau neutrinos, depending on their subatomic origin. To add to the confusion, neutrinos have a kind of quantum superpower: They can molt18 from one type to another, sort of like a jail escapee changing clothes as he flees. An electron neutrino, say, can emerge from a nuclear reactor6 in one place and appear in a detector14 somewhere else as a muon neutrino. This complicates19 the cosmic accounting20 of these creatures.

    自从苏联解体之后,巴克桑的科学家们为了保护他们的镓,不得不同时抵御盗贼和俄罗斯政府,镓是一种每公斤售价500美元的元素。物理学家们知道,中微子至少有三种,由于其不同的亚原子起源,中微子被分为电子中微子、μ中微子和τ中微子。更让其难以琢磨的是,中微子有一种量子超能:它们可以从一种变成另一种,就像是一个越狱者在逃跑过程中换了衣服似的。比如,一个地方的核反应堆中释放的电子中微子,可以以μ中微子的形式出现在另一个地方的探测器中。这给计算宇宙中这种粒子的数量制造了困难。

    Physicists are arguing intensely these days over whether there is evidence for a fourth type, called sterile21 neutrinos. That is the object of a new experiment called B.E.S.T., for Baksan Experiment on Sterile Transitions, now underway in the rusty22 Baksan tunnels. Although neutrinos are the lightest and flimsiest and perhaps most fickle23 particles of the universe, they are also among the most numerous, outnumbering the protons and electrons that make up us and ordinary matter by a billion to one. And so neutrinos contribute about as much mass to the universe as the visible stars.

    如今的物理学家们一直在激烈争论是否有证据表明存在着第四种中微子,即惰性中微子。这是正在巴克桑老旧隧道中进行的名为“惰性转换巴克桑实验”(Baksan Experiment on Sterile Transitions,简称BEST)的新实验所研究的对象。虽然中微子是宇宙中最轻、最透明、或许也是最易变的粒子,但它们也是数量最多的一种,比构成人和普通物质的质子和电子多十亿倍。所以中微子对宇宙质量的贡献与可见恒星的贡献差不多。

    An extra population of neutrinos discovered by scientists in a cave in the Caucasus would affect basic calculations of the expansion of the universe. The discovery this month of a high-energy neutrino from a far distant galaxy24 passing through the IceCube detector at the South Pole elicited25 headlines around the world.

    如果科学家在高加索山脉的洞穴里找到了以前不知道的中微子的话,那会影响宇宙膨胀的基本计算。南极的冰立方探测器本月检测到从其中经过的、来自遥远星系的高能中微子,这一发现引起了全世界的关注。

    Meanwhile, unaware26 that they are being harassed27 by extraterrestrial visitors, horses graze outside Baksan, and life goes on, whether we understand it or not.

    不知道自己受到外星访客骚扰的马儿们,正在巴克桑观测站外面的山上吃草。不管我们了解与否,生命一如既往。

     12级    双语 


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    1 observatory [əbˈzɜ:vətri] hRgzP   第8级
    n.天文台,气象台,瞭望台,观测台
    参考例句:
    • Guy's house was close to the observatory. 盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
    • Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day. 格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。
    2 burrowed [ˈbʌrəud] 6dcacd2d15d363874a67d047aa972091   第9级
    v.挖掘(洞穴),挖洞( burrow的过去式和过去分词 );翻寻
    参考例句:
    • The rabbits burrowed into the hillside. 兔子在山腰上打洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • She burrowed her head into my shoulder. 她把头紧靠在我的肩膀上。 来自辞典例句
    3 underneath [ˌʌndəˈni:θ] VKRz2   第7级
    adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
    参考例句:
    • Working underneath the car is always a messy job. 在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
    • She wore a coat with a dress underneath. 她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
    4 vats ['væts] 3cf7466f161beb5cb241053041e2077e   第9级
    varieties 变化,多样性,种类
    参考例句:
    • Fixed rare issue with getting stuck in VATS mode. 修正了极少出现的VATS模式卡住的问题。
    • Objective To summarize the experience of VATS clinic application. 目的总结电视胸腔镜手术(vats)胸外科疾病治疗中的临床应用经验。
    5 reactors [r'ɪæktəz] 774794d45796c1ac60b7fda5e55a878b   第9级
    起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 ); 反应装置; 原子炉; 核反应堆
    参考例句:
    • The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
    • The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆,必须使用普通铀作为燃料。
    6 reactor [riˈæktə(r)] jTnxL   第9级
    n.反应器;反应堆
    参考例句:
    • The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy. 原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
    • 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。
    7 cosmos [ˈkɒzmɒs] pn2yT   第7级
    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?
    8 impervious [ɪmˈpɜ:viəs] 2ynyU   第9级
    adj.不能渗透的,不能穿过的,不易伤害的
    参考例句:
    • He was completely impervious to criticism. 他对批评毫不在乎。
    • This material is impervious to gases and liquids. 气体和液体都透不过这种物质。
    9 denizens [ˈdenɪzənz] b504bf59e564ac3f33d0d2f4de63071b   第9级
    n.居民,住户( denizen的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • polar bears, denizens of the frozen north 北极熊,在冰天雪地的北方生活的动物
    • At length these denizens of the swamps disappeared in their turn. 到了后来,连这些沼泽国的居民们也不见了。 来自辞典例句
    10 dedicated [ˈdedɪkeɪtɪd] duHzy2   第9级
    adj.一心一意的;献身的;热诚的
    参考例句:
    • He dedicated his life to the cause of education. 他献身于教育事业。
    • His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design. 他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。
    11 maxim [ˈmæksɪm] G2KyJ   第8级
    n.格言,箴言
    参考例句:
    • Please lay the maxim to your heart. 请把此格言记在心里。
    • "Waste not, want not" is her favourite maxim. “不浪费则不匮乏”是她喜爱的格言。
    12 scattered ['skætəd] 7jgzKF   第7级
    adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的
    参考例句:
    • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来,塞进文件夹里。
    13 detectors [dɪ'tektəz] bff80b364ed19e1821aa038fae38df83   第7级
    探测器( detector的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
    • This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者,这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
    14 detector [dɪˈtektə(r)] svnxk   第7级
    n.发觉者,探测器
    参考例句:
    • The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container. 探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
    • Please walk through the metal detector. 请走过金属检测器。
    15 Soviet [ˈsəʊviət] Sw9wR   第8级
    adj.苏联的,苏维埃的;n.苏维埃
    参考例句:
    • Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union. 朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
    • Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941. 德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。
    16 fend [fend] N78yA   第8级
    vt. 谋生;保护;挡开;供养 vi. 照料;供养;力争
    参考例句:
    • I've had to fend for myself since I was 14. 我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
    • He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes. 他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。
    17 physicists ['fɪzɪsɪsts] 18316b43c980524885c1a898ed1528b1   第7级
    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。
    18 molt [məʊlt] Rj9yb   第10级
    n.换毛,脱皮,换毛期
    参考例句:
    • The fourth time they molt, they change into pupae. 换第四次皮时,它们蜕变成蛹。
    • This veterinary product is very effective in preventing animal molt. 这种兽药对于防治兽类掉毛很有效。
    19 complicates [ˈkɔmplɪˌkeɪts] 5877af381de63ddbd027e178c8d214f1   第8级
    使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 )
    参考例句:
    • What complicates the issue is the burden of history. 历史的重负使问题复杂化了。
    • Russia as a great and ambitious power gravely complicates the situation. 俄国作为一个强大而有野心的国家,使得局势异常复杂。
    20 accounting [əˈkaʊntɪŋ] nzSzsY   第8级
    n.会计,会计学,借贷对照表
    参考例句:
    • A job fell vacant in the accounting department. 财会部出现了一个空缺。
    • There's an accounting error in this entry. 这笔账目里有差错。
    21 sterile [ˈsteraɪl] orNyQ   第9级
    adj.不毛的,不孕的,无菌的,枯燥的,贫瘠的
    参考例句:
    • This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile. 这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上,保持奶嘴无菌。
    • The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields. 农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。
    22 rusty [ˈrʌsti] hYlxq   第9级
    adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
    参考例句:
    • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open. 门上的锁锈住了。
    • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty. 几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
    23 fickle [ˈfɪkl] Lg9zn   第9级
    adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的,不坚定的
    参考例句:
    • Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand. 物价的波动往往是由于群众需求的不稳定而引起的。
    • The weather is so fickle in summer. 夏日的天气如此多变。
    24 galaxy [ˈgæləksi] OhoxB   第7级
    n.星系;银河系;一群(杰出或著名的人物)
    参考例句:
    • The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy. 地球是银河系中的星球之一。
    • The company has a galaxy of talent. 该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。
    25 elicited [iˈlisitid] 65993d006d16046aa01b07b96e6edfc2   第7级
    引出,探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • Threats to reinstate the tax elicited jeer from the Opposition. 恢复此项征税的威胁引起了反对党的嘲笑。
    • The comedian's joke elicited applause and laughter from the audience. 那位滑稽演员的笑话博得观众的掌声和笑声。
    26 unaware [ˌʌnəˈweə(r)] Pl6w0   第7级
    adj.不知道的,未意识到的;adv.意外地;不知不觉地
    参考例句:
    • They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
    • I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。
    27 harassed [ˈhærəst] 50b529f688471b862d0991a96b6a1e55   第9级
    adj. 疲倦的,厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词
    参考例句:
    • He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
    • harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

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