蟲洞原理解析——打破時空：英語精讀講義

If you saw a wormhole in reality,

如果你在現實中看到一個蟲洞，

it would appear round,

它看起來會是圓的，

spherical,

球形的，

a bit like a black hole. 片語搭配

有點像黑洞。

Light from the other side

來自另一邊的光

passes through

穿過它，

and gives you a window 慣用語

為你提供了一扇窗

to a far-away place.

讓你能看到遙遠的地方。

Once crossed,

一旦穿過它，

the other side comes fully into view 片語搭配

另一邊的景象就會完全映入眼簾，

with your old home now receding

而你曾經的家園則會慢慢退遠，

into that shimmering spherical window.

縮小成那扇閃爍的球形窗戶。

But are wormholes real

但是蟲洞真的存在嗎？

or are they just magic

還是說它們只是偽裝成物理和數學的

disguised as physics and math? 片語搭配

魔法？

If they are real,

如果它們是真的，

how do they work

它們是如何運作的？

and where can we find them?

我們又能去哪裡找到它們？

For most of human history, 表達脈絡

在人類歷史的大部分時間裡，

we thought space was pretty simple,

我們認為空間是很簡單的，

a big flat stage 慣用語

就是一個巨大的平坦舞台，

where the events of the universe unfold.

宇宙中的各種事件就在這裡上演。

Even if you take down the set

即使你撤掉

of planets and stars,

行星和恆星這些佈景，

there's still something left.

依然會有東西留下來。

That empty stage is space

那個空蕩蕩的舞台就是空間，

and it exists,

它存在著，

unchanging and eternal.

永恆不變。

Einstein's theory of relativity changed that.

愛因斯坦的相對論改變了這一點。

It says that space and time

它指出，空間和時間

make up that stage together 片語動詞

共同構成了那個舞台，

and they aren't the same everywhere.

而且它們並不是各處都一樣的。

The things on the stage

舞台上的事物

can affect the stage itself,

會影響舞台本身，

stretching and warping it.

使其拉伸和扭曲。

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

如果說以前的舞台像是一動不動的硬木，

Einstein's stage is more like a waterbed.

愛因斯坦的舞台則更像一張水床。

This kind of elastic space

這種富有彈性的空間

can be bent and maybe even torn

可以被彎曲，甚至可能被撕裂

and patched together, 片語動詞

再拼湊在一起，

which could make wormholes possible.

這使得蟲洞的存在成為可能。

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

讓我們看看它在二維中會是什麼樣子。

Our universe is like a big flat sheet.

我們的宇宙就像一大塊平坦的床單。

Bent in just the right way, 文法

如果以適當的方式彎曲，

wormholes could connect two very,

蟲洞就可以連接兩個非常、

very distant spots

非常遙遠的點，

with a short bridge

形成一座短橋，

that you could cross almost instantaneously,

讓你可以幾乎瞬間穿過，

enabling you to travel the universe 文法

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?

那麼，我們在哪裡能找到蟲洞呢？

Presently, only on paper. 慣用語

目前，只能在紙上。

General relativity says they might be possible,

廣義相對論表明它們可能存在，

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

但這並不意味著它們一定存在。

General relativity is a mathematical theory.

廣義相對論是一個數學理論。

It's a set of equations

它是包含

that have many possible answers,

許多可能答案的一組方程式，

but not all math describes reality. 文法

但並非所有數學都能描述現實。

But they are theoretically possible

不過它們在理論上是可能的，

and there are different kinds.

而且種類繁多。

The first kind of wormholes

第一種

to be theorized were Einstein-Rosen bridges.

被提出理論的蟲洞是愛因斯坦-羅森橋。

They describe every black hole

它們將每一個黑洞描述為

as a sort of portal

一種通向

to an infinite parallel universe.

無限平行宇宙的傳送門。

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

讓我們再試著在二維中想像一下。

Empty space-time is flat

虛空的時空是平坦的，

but curved by objects on it.

但會被其上的物體壓彎。

If we compress that object,

如果我們壓縮那個物體，

space-time gets more curved around it.

時空在其周圍會變得更加彎曲。

Eventually,

最終，

space-time becomes so warped 文法

時空會變得極度扭曲，

that it has no choice 片語搭配

以至於它別無選擇，

but to collapse into a black hole.

只能坍縮成一個黑洞。

A one-way barrier forms,

於是形成了一個單向屏障，

the event horizon, 文化背景

即事件視界，

which anything can enter 表達脈絡

任何東西都可以進入，

but nothing can escape,

但什麼也逃不出來，

trapped forever at the singularity

永遠被困在

at its core.

它核心的奇異點處。

But maybe there is no singularity here.

但也許這裡並沒有奇異點。

One possibility is that the other side

一種可能性是，

of the event horizon

事件視界的另一邊

looks a bit like our universe again,

看起來又有點像我們的宇宙，

but mirrored upside down

但是上下顛倒的鏡像，

where time runs backwards.

在那裡時間是倒流的。

In our universe,

在我們的宇宙中，

things fall into the black hole.

物質掉進黑洞。

In the parallel universe

在時間倒流的

with backwards time,

平行宇宙裡，

the mirror black hole

那個鏡像黑洞

is spewing things out, 片語動詞

在向外噴射物質，

a bit like a big bang.

有點像一場宇宙大爆炸。

This is called a white hole.

這被稱為白洞。

Unfortunately,

遺憾的是，

Einstein-Rosen bridges can't actually be crossed.

愛因斯坦-羅森橋其實是無法穿越的。

It takes an infinite amount of time 文法

穿越到對面的宇宙需要

to cross over to the opposite universe

無限長的時間，

and they crimp shut in the middle. 片語搭配

而且它們會在中間閉合。

If you go into a black hole,

如果你進入一個黑洞，

you won't become the stuff

你並不會變成那些

coming out of the white hole.

從白洞裡出來的東西。

You'll only become dead.

你只會死路一條。

So, to travel the cosmos

所以，要在一眨眼間

in the blink of an eye, 慣用語

穿越宇宙，

humans need a different kind of wormhole,

人類需要另一種蟲洞，

a traversable wormhole.

一種可穿越的蟲洞。

If string theory or one 文法

如果弦理論或其

of its variations is the

某種變體是描述

correct description of our universe,

我們宇宙的正確理論，

then we could be lucky

那我們可能很幸運，

and our universe might even

我們的宇宙可能甚至

have a tangled web 慣用語

已經有了一個由無數蟲洞

of countless wormholes already.

糾纏而成的網絡。

Shortly after the Big Bang,

在大爆炸發生後不久，

quantum fluctuations in the universe

宇宙在極小尺度上

at the smallest scales,

（比原子還要小得多得多）

far, far smaller than an atom, 文法

的量子漲落，

may have created many,

可能創造了許多、

many traversable wormholes.

許多可穿越的蟲洞。

Threaded through them are strings, 文法

穿過它們的是一種

called cosmic strings.

叫做宇宙弦的弦。

In the first billionth of

在大爆炸後

a trillionth of a second

極短極短的時間內

after the Big Bang,

（兆分之一的億萬分之一秒），

the ends of these tiny,

這些極小、

tiny wormholes were pulled

極小蟲洞的兩端被拉開

light-years apart,

相距數光年，

scattering them through the universe.

散布在整個宇宙中。

If wormholes were made

如果蟲洞是在

in the early universe,

早期宇宙中形成的，

whether with cosmic strings

無論是透過宇宙弦

or some other way,

還是其他什麼方式，

they could be all over,

它們可能無處不在，

just waiting to be discovered.

只等待著被發現。

One might even be closer 文法

甚至可能有一個比我們

than we realize.

意識到的還要近。

From the outside,

從外面看，

black holes and wormholes

黑洞和蟲洞

can look very similar,

可能看起來非常相似，

leading some physicists to suggest 文法

這促使一些物理學家提出，

the supermassive black holes

星系中心

in the center of galaxies

的超大質量黑洞

are actually wormholes.

實際上就是蟲洞。

It will be very hard

不過，要想一路走到

to go all the way

銀河系中心

to the center of the Milky Way

去一探究竟，

to find out, though,

是非常困難的，

but that's okay.

但沒關係。

There might be an equally

也許還有一種同樣

extremely hard way to get 慣用語

極其困難的方法

our hands on a wormhole.

能讓我們得到一個蟲洞。

We could try to make one.

我們可以嘗試製造一個。

To be traversable and useful,

為了讓蟲洞可穿越且有用，

there are a few properties

我們希望它

we want a wormhole to have. 文法

能具備以下幾個屬性。

First,

首先，

it must obviously connect

它顯然必須連接

two distant parts of space-time,

兩個遙遠的時空區域，

like your bedroom and the bathroom,

就像你的臥室和浴室，

or Earth and Jupiter.

或者地球和木星。

Second,

其次，

it should not contain

它不應該包含

any event horizons,

任何事件視界，

which would block two-way travel.

因為那會阻擋雙向旅行。

Third,

第三，

it should be sufficiently sized 文法

它的尺寸應該足夠大，

so that the gravitational forces

這樣引力才不會

don't kill human travelers.

殺死人類旅行者。

The biggest problem we have

我們需要解決的

to solve is keeping our wormholes open.

最大問題是保持蟲洞開啟。

No matter how we make wormholes, 文法

無論我們怎麼製造蟲洞，

gravity tries to close them.

引力都會試圖使它們閉合。

Gravity wants to pinch it closed 片語搭配

引力想要將它捏緊閉合

and cut the bridge,

並切斷這座橋，

leaving only black holes

兩端

at the ends.

只留下黑洞。

Whether it's a traversable wormhole 文法

無論是兩端都在我們宇宙的

with both ends in ours

可穿越蟲洞，

or a wormhole to another universe,

還是通往另一個宇宙的蟲洞，

it will try to close

它都會試圖閉合，

unless we have something 文法

除非我們有某種東西

propping it open.

把它撐開。

For very old string theory wormholes,

對於非常古老的弦理論蟲洞來說，

that's the cosmic string's job.

那是宇宙弦的工作。

For man-made wormholes,

而對於人造蟲洞，

we need a new ingredient, 慣用語

我們需要一種新成分：

exotic matter.

奇異物質。

This isn't anything like

這完全不同於

we find on Earth

我們在地球上能找到的任何東西，

or even antimatter.

甚至不同於反物質。

It's something totally new

它是一種全新的、

and different and exciting

與眾不同且令人興奮的物質，

with crazy properties

具有前所未見的

like nothing that's ever 文法

瘋狂

been seen before.

屬性。

Exotic matter is stuff

奇異物質是

that has negative mass.

具有負質量的物質。

Positive mass,

正質量，

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.

由於引力而具有吸引力。

But negative mass would be repulsive. 用詞

但負質量將具有排斥力。

It would push you away.

它會把你推開。

This makes a kind of anti-gravity

這會產生一種反引力，

that props open our wormholes. 片語搭配

從而撐開我們的蟲洞。

And exotic matter must exert 片語搭配

而且奇異物質必須施加

enormous pressure to push space-time open,

巨大的壓力來推開時空，

greater even than the pressure

這種壓力甚至要比中子星中心

at the centers of neutron stars.

的壓力還要大。

With exotic matter,

有了奇異物質，

we could weave space-time however 慣用語

我們就能以我們認為合適的方式

we see fit.

編織時空。

We may even have a candidate

我們甚至可能已經有了一個

for this exotic matter,

這種奇異物質的候選者，

the vacuum of space itself.

那就是太空的真空本身。

Quantum fluctuations in empty space

虛空中的量子漲落

are constantly creating pairs

在不斷地成對創造

of particles and antiparticles

粒子和反粒子，

only for them to be annihilated 文法

卻只是為了讓它們在

an instant later.

瞬間之後湮滅。

The vacuum of space is boiling 慣用語

太空的真空因它們而沸騰，

with them and we can already

而且我們已經可以

manipulate them to produce an effect

操縱它們以產生一種

similar to the negative mass

類似於我們正在尋找的

we're looking for.

負質量的效果。

We could use this to stabilize

我們可以用它來穩定

our wormholes.

我們的蟲洞。

Once we're keeping it open,

一旦我們能保持它敞開，

the ends would start together,

蟲洞的兩端起初會連在一起，

so we'd have to move them

所以我們必須把它們移到

around to interesting places.

有趣的地方去。

We could start by wiring 文法

我們可以從連接

the solar system,

太陽系開始，

leaving one end of each

讓每個

wormhole in orbit around the Earth.

蟲洞的一端留在繞地球的軌道上。

We could fling others into deep space.

我們可以把另一端甩進深空。

The Earth could be a wormhole hub

地球可以成為一個蟲洞樞紐，

for a vast interstellar human civilization

聯結一個跨越光年、

spread over light-years,

浩瀚無垠的星際人類文明，

but only a wormhole away. 慣用語

而一切只在蟲洞的另一頭。

However,

然而，

wormholes have a dark side. 慣用語

蟲洞也有黑暗的一面。

Even opening a single wormhole

即使只打開一個蟲洞，

kind of breaks the universe 語氣意圖

也會在根本上

in fundamental ways,

破壞宇宙，

potentially creating time travel paradoxes

潛在地造成時間旅行悖論，

and violating the causal structure

並違反宇宙的

of the universe.

因果結構。

Many scientists think that this

許多科學家認為，這

not only means they should 文法

不僅意味著它們應該

be impossible to make,

不可能被製造出來，

but that it's impossible

而且它們

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

我們只知道蟲洞

exist in our hearts 表達脈絡

存在於我們的心中，

and on paper in the form of equations.

以及紙面上方程式的形式中。