虫洞原理解析——打破时空：英语精读讲义

If you saw a wormhole in reality,

如果你在现实中看到一个虫洞，

it would appear round,

它看起来会是圆的，

spherical,

球形的，

a bit like a black hole. 短語搭配

有点像黑洞。

Light from the other side

来自另一边的光

passes through

穿过它，

and gives you a window 習語

为你提供了一扇窗

to a far-away place.

让你能看到遥远的地方。

Once crossed,

一旦穿过它，

the other side comes fully into view 短語搭配

另一边的景象就会完全映入眼帘，

with your old home now receding

而你曾经的家园则会慢慢退远，

into that shimmering spherical window.

缩小成那扇闪烁的球形窗户。

But are wormholes real

但是虫洞真的存在吗？

or are they just magic

还是说它们只是伪装成物理和数学的

disguised as physics and math? 短語搭配

魔法？

If they are real,

如果它们是真的，

how do they work

它们是如何运作的？

and where can we find them?

我们又能去哪里找到它们？

For most of human history, 表達脈絡

在人类历史的大部分时间里，

we thought space was pretty simple,

我们认为空间是很简单的，

a big flat stage 習語

就是一个巨大的平坦舞台，

where the events of the universe unfold.

宇宙中的各种事件就在这里上演。

Even if you take down the set

即使你撤掉

of planets and stars,

行星和恒星这些布景，

there's still something left.

依然会有东西留下来。

That empty stage is space

那个空荡荡的舞台就是空间，

and it exists,

它存在着，

unchanging and eternal.

永恒不变。

Einstein's theory of relativity changed that.

爱因斯坦的相对论改变了这一点。

It says that space and time

它指出，空间和时间

make up that stage together 短語動詞

共同构成了那个舞台，

and they aren't the same everywhere.

而且它们并不是各处都一样的。

The things on the stage

舞台上的事物

can affect the stage itself,

会影响舞台本身，

stretching and warping it.

使其拉伸和扭曲。

If the old stage was like unmoving hardwood, 表達脈絡

如果说以前的舞台像是一动不动的硬木，

Einstein's stage is more like a waterbed.

爱因斯坦的舞台则更像一张水床。

This kind of elastic space

这种富有弹性的空间

can be bent and maybe even torn

可以被弯曲，甚至可能被撕裂

and patched together, 短語動詞

再拼凑在一起，

which could make wormholes possible.

这使得虫洞的存在成为可能。

Let's see what that would look like in 2D.

让我们看看它在二维中会是什么样子。

Our universe is like a big flat sheet.

我们的宇宙就像一大块平坦的床单。

Bent in just the right way, 語法

如果以适当的方式弯曲，

wormholes could connect two very,

虫洞就可以连接两个非常、

very distant spots

非常遥远的点，

with a short bridge

形成一座短桥，

that you could cross almost instantaneously,

让你可以几乎瞬间穿过，

enabling you to travel the universe 語法

使你能以超越光速的速度

even faster than the speed of light.

在宇宙中旅行。

So, where can we find a wormhole?

那么，我们在哪里能找到虫洞呢？

Presently, only on paper. 習語

目前，只能在纸上。

General relativity says they might be possible,

广义相对论表明它们可能存在，

but that doesn't mean they have to exist. 語法

但这并不意味着它们一定存在。

General relativity is a mathematical theory.

广义相对论是一个数学理论。

It's a set of equations

它是包含

that have many possible answers,

许多可能答案的一组方程，

but not all math describes reality. 語法

但并非所有数学都能描述现实。

But they are theoretically possible

不过它们在理论上是可能的，

and there are different kinds.

而且种类繁多。

The first kind of wormholes

第一种

to be theorized were Einstein-Rosen bridges.

被提出理论的虫洞是爱因斯坦-罗森桥。

They describe every black hole

它们将每一个黑洞描述为

as a sort of portal

一种通向

to an infinite parallel universe.

无限平行宇宙的传送门。

Let's try to picture them in 2D again.

让我们再试着在二维中想象一下。

Empty space-time is flat

虚空的时空是平坦的，

but curved by objects on it.

但会被其上的物体压弯。

If we compress that object,

如果我们压缩那个物体，

space-time gets more curved around it.

时空在其周围会变得更加弯曲。

Eventually,

最终，

space-time becomes so warped 語法

时空会变得极度扭曲，

that it has no choice 短語搭配

以至于它别无选择，

but to collapse into a black hole.

只能坍缩成一个黑洞。

A one-way barrier forms,

于是形成了一个单向屏障，

the event horizon, 文化背景

即事件视界，

which anything can enter 表達脈絡

任何东西都可以进入，

but nothing can escape,

但什么也逃不出来，

trapped forever at the singularity

永远被困在

at its core.

它核心的奇点处。

But maybe there is no singularity here.

但也许这里并没有奇点。

One possibility is that the other side

一种可能性是，

of the event horizon

事件视界的另一边

looks a bit like our universe again,

看起来又有点像我们的宇宙，

but mirrored upside down

但是上下颠倒的镜像，

where time runs backwards.

在那里时间是倒流的。

In our universe,

在我们的宇宙中，

things fall into the black hole.

物质掉进黑洞。

In the parallel universe

在时间倒流的

with backwards time,

平行宇宙里，

the mirror black hole

那个镜像黑洞

is spewing things out, 短語動詞

在向外喷射物质，

a bit like a big bang.

有点像一场宇宙大爆炸。

This is called a white hole.

这被称为白洞。

Unfortunately,

遗憾的是，

Einstein-Rosen bridges can't actually be crossed.

爱因斯坦-罗森桥其实是无法穿越的。

It takes an infinite amount of time 語法

穿越到对面的宇宙需要

to cross over to the opposite universe

无限长的时间，

and they crimp shut in the middle. 短語搭配

而且它们会在中间闭合。

If you go into a black hole,

如果你进入一个黑洞，

you won't become the stuff

你并不会变成那些

coming out of the white hole.

从白洞里出来的东西。

You'll only become dead.

你只会死路一条。

So, to travel the cosmos

所以，要在一眨眼间

in the blink of an eye, 習語

穿越宇宙，

humans need a different kind of wormhole,

人类需要另一种虫洞，

a traversable wormhole.

一种可穿越的虫洞。

If string theory or one 語法

如果弦理论或其

of its variations is the

某种变体是描述

correct description of our universe,

我们宇宙的正确理论，

then we could be lucky

那我们可能很幸运，

and our universe might even

我们的宇宙可能甚至

have a tangled web 習語

已经有了一个由无数虫洞

of countless wormholes already.

纠缠而成的网络。

Shortly after the Big Bang,

在大爆炸发生后不久，

quantum fluctuations in the universe

宇宙在极小尺度上

at the smallest scales,

（比原子还要小得多得多）

far, far smaller than an atom, 語法

的量子涨落，

may have created many,

可能创造了许多、

many traversable wormholes.

许多可穿越的虫洞。

Threaded through them are strings, 語法

穿过它们的是一种

called cosmic strings.

叫做宇宙弦的弦。

In the first billionth of

在大爆炸后

a trillionth of a second

极短极短的时间内

after the Big Bang,

（万亿分之一的亿万分之一秒），

the ends of these tiny,

这些极小、

tiny wormholes were pulled

极小虫洞的两端被拉开

light-years apart,

相距数光年，

scattering them through the universe.

散布在整个宇宙中。

If wormholes were made

如果虫洞是在

in the early universe,

早期宇宙中形成的，

whether with cosmic strings

无论是通过宇宙弦

or some other way,

还是其他什么方式，

they could be all over,

它们可能无处不在，

just waiting to be discovered.

只等待着被发现。

One might even be closer 語法

甚至可能有一个比我们

than we realize.

意识到的还要近。

From the outside,

从外面看，

black holes and wormholes

黑洞和虫洞

can look very similar,

可能看起来非常相似，

leading some physicists to suggest 語法

这促使一些物理学家提出，

the supermassive black holes

星系中心

in the center of galaxies

的超大质量黑洞

are actually wormholes.

实际上就是虫洞。

It will be very hard

不过，要想一路走到

to go all the way

银河系中心

to the center of the Milky Way

去一探究竟，

to find out, though,

是非常困难的，

but that's okay.

但没关系。

There might be an equally

也许还有一种同样

extremely hard way to get 習語

极其困难的方法

our hands on a wormhole.

能让我们得到一个虫洞。

We could try to make one.

我们可以尝试制造一个。

To be traversable and useful,

为了让虫洞可穿越且有用，

there are a few properties

我们希望它

we want a wormhole to have. 語法

能具备以下几个属性。

First,

首先，

it must obviously connect

它显然必须连接

two distant parts of space-time,

两个遥远的时空区域，

like your bedroom and the bathroom,

就像你的卧室和浴室，

or Earth and Jupiter.

或者地球和木星。

Second,

其次，

it should not contain

它不应该包含

any event horizons,

任何事件视界，

which would block two-way travel.

因为那会阻挡双向旅行。

Third,

第三，

it should be sufficiently sized 語法

它的尺寸应该足够大，

so that the gravitational forces

这样引力才不会

don't kill human travelers.

杀死人类旅行者。

The biggest problem we have

我们需要解决的

to solve is keeping our wormholes open.

最大问题是保持虫洞开启。

No matter how we make wormholes, 語法

无论我们怎么制造虫洞，

gravity tries to close them.

引力都会试图使它们闭合。

Gravity wants to pinch it closed 短語搭配

引力想要将它捏紧闭合

and cut the bridge,

并切断这座桥，

leaving only black holes

两端

at the ends.

只留下黑洞。

Whether it's a traversable wormhole 語法

无论是两端都在我们宇宙的

with both ends in ours

可穿越虫洞，

or a wormhole to another universe,

还是通往另一个宇宙的虫洞，

it will try to close

它都会试图闭合，

unless we have something 語法

除非我们有某种东西

propping it open.

把它撑开。

For very old string theory wormholes,

对于非常古老的弦理论虫洞来说，

that's the cosmic string's job.

那是宇宙弦的工作。

For man-made wormholes,

而对于人造虫洞，

we need a new ingredient, 習語

我们需要一种新成分：

exotic matter.

奇异物质。

This isn't anything like

这完全不同于

we find on Earth

我们在地球上能找到的任何东西，

or even antimatter.

甚至不同于反物质。

It's something totally new

它是一种全新的、

and different and exciting

与众不同且令人兴奋的物质，

with crazy properties

具有前所未见的

like nothing that's ever 語法

疯狂

been seen before.

属性。

Exotic matter is stuff

奇异物质是

that has negative mass.

具有负质量的物质。

Positive mass,

正质量，

like people and planets

比如人、行星

and everything else in the universe,

以及宇宙中的其他一切，

is attractive because of gravity.

由于引力而具有吸引力。

But negative mass would be repulsive. 用詞

但负质量将具有排斥力。

It would push you away.

它会把你推开。

This makes a kind of anti-gravity

这会产生一种反引力，

that props open our wormholes. 短語搭配

从而撑开我们的虫洞。

And exotic matter must exert 短語搭配

而且奇异物质必须施加

enormous pressure to push space-time open,

巨大的压力来推开时空，

greater even than the pressure

这种压力甚至要比中子星中心

at the centers of neutron stars.

的压力还要大。

With exotic matter,

有了奇异物质，

we could weave space-time however 習語

我们就能以我们认为合适的方式

we see fit.

编织时空。

We may even have a candidate

我们甚至可能已经有了一个

for this exotic matter,

这种奇异物质的候选者，

the vacuum of space itself.

那就是太空的真空本身。

Quantum fluctuations in empty space

虚空中的量子涨落

are constantly creating pairs

在不断地成对创造

of particles and antiparticles

粒子和反粒子，

only for them to be annihilated 語法

却只是为了让它们在

an instant later.

瞬间之后湮灭。

The vacuum of space is boiling 習語

太空的真空因它们而沸腾，

with them and we can already

而且我们已经可以

manipulate them to produce an effect

操纵它们以产生一种

similar to the negative mass

类似于我们正在寻找的

we're looking for.

负质量的效果。

We could use this to stabilize

我们可以用它来稳定

our wormholes.

我们的虫洞。

Once we're keeping it open,

一旦我们能保持它敞开，

the ends would start together,

虫洞的两端起初会连在一起，

so we'd have to move them

所以我们必须把它们移到

around to interesting places.

有趣的地方去。

We could start by wiring 語法

我们可以从连接

the solar system,

太阳系开始，

leaving one end of each

让每个

wormhole in orbit around the Earth.

虫洞的一端留在绕地球的轨道上。

We could fling others into deep space.

我们可以把另一端甩进深空。

The Earth could be a wormhole hub

地球可以成为一个虫洞枢纽，

for a vast interstellar human civilization

联结一个跨越光年、

spread over light-years,

浩瀚无垠的星际人类文明，

but only a wormhole away. 習語

而一切只在虫洞的另一头。

However,

然而，

wormholes have a dark side. 習語

虫洞也有黑暗的一面。

Even opening a single wormhole

即使只打开一个虫洞，

kind of breaks the universe 語氣意圖

也会在根本上

in fundamental ways,

破坏宇宙，

potentially creating time travel paradoxes

潜在地造成时间旅行悖论，

and violating the causal structure

并违反宇宙的

of the universe.

因果结构。

Many scientists think that this

许多科学家认为，这

not only means they should 語法

不仅意味着它们应该

be impossible to make,

不可能被制造出来，

but that it's impossible

而且它们

for them to exist at all.

根本不可能存在。

So, for now,

所以，就目前而言，

we only know that wormholes

我们只知道虫洞

exist in our hearts 表達脈絡

存在于我们的心中，

and on paper in the form of equations.

以及纸面上方程的形式中。