经济学人66:捕获希格斯粒子 敌军现身?

 　　Science and Technology

　　科技

　　Looking for the Higgs

　　捕获希格斯粒子

　　Enemy in sight?

　　敌军现身？

　　The search for the Higgs boson is closing in on its quarry¹

　　希格斯玻色子的研究逼近其目标

　　ON JULY 22nd two teams of researchers based at CERN, Europe's main particle-physics laboratory, near Geneva, told a meeting of the European Physical Society in Grenoble that they had found the strongest hints yet that the Higgs boson does, in fact, exist.

　　7月22日，驻欧洲粒子物理研究所（CERN，邻近日内瓦的欧洲主要粒子物理实验室）的两组研究人员在格勒诺布尔(Grenoble)欧洲物理协会的一次会议上声称，他们已经得到迄今为止最有力的线索，将力证希格斯玻色子的确真实存在。

　　The Higgs (named after Peter Higgs, a British physicist² who predicted its existence) is the last unobserved part of the Standard Model, a 40-year-old theory which successfully describes the behaviour of all the fundamental particles and forces of nature bar gravity.

　　希格斯粒子（它以预言其存在的英国物理学家彼得·希格斯的名字命名） 是"基础模型"中最后一个尚未观测到的组件，"基础模型"已有40年的历史，它成功地描述了所有基础粒子的行为及除重力以外的所有自然力。

　　Mathematically, the Higgs is needed to complete the model because, otherwise, none of the other particles would have any mass.

　　在数学层面上，希格斯粒子对于完成"模型"是必不可少的，这是因为，一旦缺少它，所有的其它粒子都将会失去质量。

　　The problem with the elusive³ boson is not creating it in the first place.

　　对于难于捉摸的玻色子而言，首要的问题并不是将其创造出来。

　　Two of the world's particle accelerators, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and its American rival, the Tevatron at Fermilab on the outskirts⁴ of Chicago, each have more than enough oomph to conjure⁵ up the Higgs—at least if it looks anything like theory suggests it should.

　　世界上现有两台粒子加速器，欧洲粒子物理研究所的大型强子对撞机（LHC），以及其美国竞争对手芝加哥市郊费米实验室的兆电子伏加速器（Tevatron），各自都有绰绰有余的充沛魔力去召唤希格斯粒子——如果一切符合理论，至少看来应该是这样。

　　The difficulty, rather, is spotting signs of it in the jetsam of subatomic debris⁶ these machines produce.

　　然而，困难在于如何在这些机器制造的亚原子碎片衍生物中辩认出它的踪迹来。

　　Both laboratories use similar approaches: smashing particles called hadrons into each other.

　　两个实验室都采用类似的方法：将称作强子的高能粒子彼此对撞。

　　The LHC collides beams of protons.

　　大型强子对撞机对轰质子束。

　　The Tevatron works with protons and antiprotons.

　　而兆电子伏加速器使用的是质子和反质子。

　　In each case the particles concerned are accelerated to within a whisker of the speed of light before they are forced, head-on, into each other.

　　在它们被强制彼此迎头撞击之前，各自所采用的那些粒子都要被加速至距离光速仅有一线之隔。

　　During such a collision, their kinetic⁷ energy is converted into other particles (since, as Einstein showed, energy and mass are but two sides of the same coin).

　　在这样的撞击过程中，它们的动能转换成额外的粒子（正如爱因斯坦所指出的那样，这是由于能量和质量只是同一个硬币的两面而已）。

　　The more kinetic energy there is, the heavier these daughter particles can be.

　　动能越大，越能产生更大质量的粒子。

　　Unfortunately hadrons, such as protons and antiprotons, are made of smaller bits called quarks.

　　不幸的是，强子，比如质子和反质子，是由名为夸克的更小单元所组成的。

　　As a result, hadron collisions can be messy and difficult to interpret.

　　结果，强子的撞击可能造成混乱且难于预测的局面。

　　If a Higgs were to be made in such a collision, the complexity⁸ of hadrons means that other particles would be created along with the boson.

　　如果一个希格斯粒子产生在这样的一次碰撞中，那么强子的复杂构造意味着另外的粒子也将会伴随这个玻色子而出现。

　　Both it and its companions would then decay almost instantly into a plethora⁹ of less fleeting¹⁰ bits, some of which could be detected.

　　玻色子与它的伙伴们将会几乎在瞬间衰变为大批寿命更短的微粒子，其中有一些能被检测出来。

　　In theory, analysing this shower of daughter particles should give away whether or not a Higgs was involved.

　　理论上，分析这批衰变所产生的粒子应该能轻松查明是否其中曾存在希格斯粒子。

　　But other sorts of subatomic process that do not involve the Higgs can produce precisely¹¹ the same final readings as those the missing boson is predicted to generate.

　　然而其他类型的不含希格斯粒子的亚原子衰变过程也能够精确地产生相同的最终观测结果，就跟缺失的希格斯粒子预定产生的一般。

　　Finding a Higgs-like signal among the daughters is therefore not, by itself, enough to say you have discovered the Higgs.

　　因而在这些衍生粒子中发现类似希格斯粒子的迹象本身并不足以证明你已经发现希格斯粒子。

　　What is needed is an unexpected abundance of such signals.

　　这样的迹象出乎意料地频繁出现是一个必要条件。

　　And it is just such excess that two separate experiments at the LHC, known as CMS and ATLAS¹², have detected.

　　而在大型强子对撞机上的这两个独立实验（称为CMS和ATLAS）就已经检测到这样的反常频密现象。

　　Individually, each team's result could be a statistical¹³ fluke.

　　客观地说，每个研究团队所得出的结论可能只是统计意义上的偶然现象。

　　Neither reaches the exacting¹⁴ standard of proof that particle physicists¹⁵ require to accept a result unequivocally—namely one chance in 3.5m that it occurred by accident.

　　两者都达到粒子物理学家所提出能确定无疑地接受为证据的严苛标准——即三百五十万次实验中偶尔发生一次。

　　Instead, they each achieved a significance of somewhere between one chance in 1,000 and one in six, depending on which statistical test you use.

　　不止如此，它们各自都获得了显著的观测数据，从一千次发生一次到六次发生一次的范围之内，这取决于你所采用的统计学测试标准。

　　What set the scientists gathered in Grenoble aflutter, though, was that both experiments ascribed the excesses they observed to the same putative¹⁶ decay pattern—one involving W bosons, which mediate¹⁷ the weak nuclear force that is responsible for certain types of radioactive decay.

　　令到聚集在格勒诺布尔的科学家们兴奋不已的是，这两个实验中所观察到的反常频密现象都要归因于相同的公认衰变模式——一种涉及W玻色子的衰变，该玻色力是传递弱核力的媒介，而弱核力是某些特定种类放射性衰变的主因。

　　Both teams also ascribe the same mass to their putative Higgses, namely 130-150 gigaelectron-volts (the units in which particle physicists measure mass).

　　两个团队也认为他们所推定的希格斯粒子具有相同的质量，即130—150吉电子伏特（这是粒子物理学测量质量所采用的一种单位）。

　　That is at the low end of the predicted range.

　　这处在预测范围中的底部。

　　Sadly, even taken together these results are far from robust¹⁸ enough to claim the Higgs's discovery.

　　遗憾地是，即使是将这些结果一并考虑，也远不足于斩钉截铁地断言发现希格斯粒子。

　　With a little tweaking, the Standard Model might explain them in other ways.

　　只要稍作更改，"标准模型"可以用另一种方式去解释它们。

　　Guido Tonelli and Fabiola Gianotti, who head CMS and ATLAS respectively, therefore urge caution.

　　各自领导CMS和ATLAS的基多·汤内利（Guido Tonelli）及法比奥拉·贾诺蒂（Fabiola Gianotti）因而呼吁要格外的小心谨慎。

　　Their goal is to have enough data by the end of the year either to say definitely that the Higgs has a mass of 130-150 gigaelectron-volts, or that if it exists at all, then it must be heavier than that.

　　他们的目标是到今年年末获得足够的数据，要么证明希格斯粒子具有130—150吉电子伏特的质量，要么证明只要它确实存在，那么它必定要更重一些。

　　If this is the case, the hunt will continue at higher and higher energies (and therefore masses) until either the thing is found, or there is nowhere left in the energy landscape for it to be hiding.

　　如果是这样的话，追捕行动将在越来越高的能量（因此质量也是同样如此）层级上展开，直到发现它为止，否则的话，能量图谱中根本就不存在它的藏身之处。

1 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

2 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。

3 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 conjure   

v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法

参考例句：

• I conjure you not to betray me.我恳求你不要背弃我。
• I can't simply conjure up the money out of thin air.我是不能像变魔术似的把钱变来。

6 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

7 kinetic   

adj.运动的；动力学的

参考例句：

• There exist many sources of energy both potential and kinetic.存在着许多势能和动能的能源。
• The kinetic theory of gases is the best known example.气体动力学理论就是最有名的例子。

8 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

9 plethora   

n.过量，过剩

参考例句：

• Java comes with a plethora of ready-made types.Java配套提供了数量众多的现成类型。
• A plethora of new operators will be allowed to enter the market.大批新的运营商将获准进入该市场。

10 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

11 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

12 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。

13 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

14 exacting   

adj.苛求的，要求严格的

参考例句：

• He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。
• The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移，公众的要求更趋严格。

15 physicists   

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。

16 putative   

adj.假定的

参考例句：

• There have been many attempts to track down the putative Loch Ness monster.人们为追踪假定存在的尼斯湖水怪做了许多努力。
• He is the putative father of this child.他是这孩子的推定的父亲。

17 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

18 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。