Based on "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene.

根據布萊恩·格林著作 《優雅的宇宙》

Welcome to the 11th dimension

第三部 歡迎來到第11維時空

Imagine that we were able to control space

想像一下 我們可以控制空間

Or control time.

或時間

The kinds of things that we'd be able to do

就可以做很多

Would be amazing.

歎為觀止的事情

I might be able to go from here...

我也許能從這裡

To here...

到這裡

To here...

再到這

To here...

或者到這

And over to here in only an instant.

轉瞬間又到這

Now,we all think that this kind of trip

我們都認為這樣的旅行

Would be impossible.

不可能實現

And it probably is.

事實也許如此

But in the last few years,

但在最近幾年

Our ideas about the true nature of space and time

我們的時空觀

Have been going through some changes.

有了不少的改變

And things that used to seem like science fiction

以前在科幻小說中才有的東西

Are looking not-so-far-fetched.

似乎不再遙不可及

It's all thanks to a revolution in physics

這要歸功於一個物理學上的革命

Called "string theory,"

"弦理論"

Which is offering a whole new perspective

弦理論提供了個嶄新的視角

On the inner workings of the universe.

來看待宇宙的內在運行機理

String theory holds out the promise that

弦理論給我們提供了這樣一種前景

We can really understand questions of

它使我們相信我們真的可以

Why the universe is the way it is

從最基本層面上弄清楚

At the most fundamental level.

宇宙為什麼是這樣的

String theory is really the wild west of physics.

弦理論是物理學上的未知領域

This is an area of theoretical physics

屬於理論物理的範疇

Which is so radically different from

從根本上不同於

Anything that's been before.

任何以往的研究

This radical new theory starts with the simple premiss

這個激進的理論有一個前提

That everything in the universe,

即宇宙萬物

The earth,these buildings,

地球 這些建築

Even forces like gravity and electricity,

甚至像引力和電力這樣的力

Are made up of incredibly tiny,

都是由極其微小的

Vibrating strands of energy called "strings."

號稱"弦"的帶能振動細絲組成

And small as they are,

儘管弦很小

Strings are changing everything

卻改變著一切

We thought we knew about the universe,

我們對宇宙的認知

Especially our ideas about the nature of space.

尤其是對空間本質的認識

To see how,let's first shrink all of space

為了看個究竟 我們首先把整個空間

To a more manageable size.

縮小到一個易於觀察的大小

Imagine that the whole universe consisted of nothing

把整個宇宙想像成

More than my hometown,manhattan.

我的家鄉曼哈頓

So now,just one borough of new york city

那麼 紐約市的一個區

Makes up the entire fabric of space.

就構成了整個空間結構

And just for kicks,

好玩起見

Let's also imagine that I'm the ceo of a large corporation

把我想像成華爾街

With offices on wall street.

一家大公司的經理

And because time is money,

時間就是金錢

I need to find the quickest route from my apartment,

我得找到最快路線

Here in upper manhattan to my offices in lower manhattan.

從北曼哈頓公寓趕到南邊的辦公室

Now,we all know that the shortest distance

眾所周知 兩點之間

Between two points is a straight line,

直線距離最短

But even if there's no traffic

即使一路暢通

-A bit of a stretch even in our imaginary manhattan-

這在我們想像中的曼哈頓也難達到

It'll still take us some amount of time to get there.

這段路也要花掉不少時間

By going faster and faster,

隨著速度越來越快

We can reduce the travel time.

可減少路上的時間

But because nothing can go faster than the speed of light,

但因為沒什麼可比光速更快

There is a definite limit to how much time

這段路可省的時間

We can cut from our journey.

是有限的

This manhattan universe fits with an old,

這個曼哈頓型的宇宙

Classical vision of space,

符合古老經典的空間觀

Basically a flat grid that's static and unchanging.

本質上就是靜止不變的平面網格

But when Albert Einstein looked at the fabric of space,

但阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦眼中的空間結構

He saw something completely different.

是完全不同的

He said that space wasn't static;

他認為空間不是靜態的

It could warp and stretch.

而是可彎曲和拉伸的

And there could even be unusual structures of space

甚至存在非常規的空間結構

Called "wormholes."

叫做"蟲洞"

A wormhole is a bridge or tunnel

蟲洞是連接空間不同區域的

That can link distant regions of space,

橋或隧道

In effect,a cosmic shortcut.

實質上 是個宇宙捷徑

In this kind of universe,

在這樣的宇宙中

My commute would be a new yorker's dream.

我的通行路徑是每個紐約人的夢想

But there is a hitch, to create a wormhole,

但製造這麼個蟲洞有個問題

You've got to rip or tear a hole in the fabric of space.

得在空間結構中撕裂或扯開個洞

But can the fabric of space really rip?

但空間結構真的能被撕裂嗎

Can this first step toward

形成蟲洞的第一步

Forming a wormhole actually happen?

真的能實現嗎

Well,you can't answer these questions

餓著肚子

On an empty stomach.

可沒法回答這些問題

Turns out that by looking at my breakfast

通過觀察我的早餐

--coffee and a doughnut--

咖啡和甜甜圈

We can get a pretty good sense of

可以對弦理論關於

What string theory says

空間結構是否可撕裂的答案

About whether the fabric of space can tear.

有個更好的認識

Imagine that space is shaped like this doughnut.

把空間想像成這個甜甜圈的形狀

You might think that it would be very different

你也許認為這個空間與

From a region of space shaped like this coffee cup.

形狀如咖啡杯的空間完全不同

But there's a precise sense

但事實恰巧是

In which the shape of the doughnut

甜甜圈形狀的

And the coffee cup are actually the same,

和咖啡杯形狀的實質上是一樣的

Just a little disguised.

只是有些隱晦

You see,they both have one hole.

瞧 他們都有個洞

In the doughnut it's in the middle

甜甜圈的洞在中間

And in the coffee cup it's in the handle.

咖啡杯的洞在手柄上

That means we can change the doughnut

這就意味著可以把甜甜圈

Into the shape of a coffee cup and back again

變成咖啡杯 再變回來

Without having to rip or tear the dough at all.

而不需要撕裂或扯開甜甜圈

Okay,but suppose you want to change the shape

但如果想把甜甜圈

Of this doughnut into a very different shape,

變成完全不同的形狀

A shape with no holes.

比如沒有洞的形狀

The only way to do that is to tear the doughnut like this

唯一的方法是像這樣撕扯開甜甜圈

And then re-shape it.

再改變其形狀

Unfortunately,according to Einstein's laws,

遺憾的是 根據愛因斯坦的理論

This is impossible.

這是不可能的

They say that space can stretch and warp,

愛因斯坦的理論認為空間可以拉伸和彎曲

But it cannot rip.

但不能撕裂

Wormholes might exist somewhere fully formed,

蟲洞也許現成的就在某個地方

But you could not rip space to create a new one,

但你不能在曼哈頓或別處

Over manhattan or anywhere else.

撕開空間 製造出一個蟲洞

In other words,I can't take a wormhole to work.

換句話說 我無法穿過蟲洞去工作

But now string theory is giving us

不過現在弦理論提供了

A whole new perspective on space,

一個嶄新的視角來看待空間

And it's showing us that Einstein wasn't always right.

也證明了愛因斯坦不總是對的

To see how,

為了一探究竟

Let's take a much closer look at the spatial fabric.

讓我們近距離觀察空間結構

If we could shrink down

我們如果能

To about a millionth of a billionth of our normal size,

縮小千萬億倍

We'd enter the world of quantum mechanics,

進入統治原子運轉的

The laws that control how atoms behave.

量子力學世界

It's the world of light and electricity and everything else

這是個光 電和所有一切都在

That operates at the smallest of scales.

最小級別運作的世界

Here,the fabric of space is random and chaotic.

這裡 空間的結構是隨機無序的

Rips and tears might be commonplace.

撕裂和扯開就不足為奇了

But if they were,

但如果是這樣的話

What would stop a rip in the fabric of space

又是什麼阻止了空間結構的撕裂

From creating a cosmic catastrophe?

避免了宇宙大災難

Well,this is where the power of strings comes in.

這就得說起弦的力量

Strings calm the chaos.

弦避免了混亂

And as a single string dances through space,

一個弦在空間運動時

It sweeps out a tube.

軌跡是管狀的

The tube can act like a bubble that surrounds the tear,

這些管狀物像氣泡一樣環繞在破裂處周圍

A protective shield with profound implications.

形成重要的保護層

Strings actually make it possible for space to rip.

弦的存在使得空間裂開成為可能

Which means that space is far more dynamic

這就意味著空間比愛因斯坦所想的

And changeable than even Albert Einstein thought.

要更加充滿活力和難以琢磨

So does that mean that wormholes are possible?

這是不是說蟲洞是可能存在的

Will I ever be able to take a stroll on Everest,

我能不能在珠穆朗瑪峰漫步

Grab a baguette in Paris

到巴黎拿條法棍麵包

And still make it back to new york in time

仍然能及時趕回紐約

For my morning meeting?

開晨會呢

It would be kind of cool,

那該有多酷

Though it's still a very distant possibility.

但這種可能仍遙不可及

But one thing that is certain

但可以肯定的是

Is that string theory is already showing us

弦理論已經告訴我們

That the universe may be a lot stranger

宇宙也許比我們想像的

Than any of us ever imagined.

更加神秘莫測

For example,string theory says we're surrounded

例如 弦理論指出我們周圍充斥著

By hidden dimensions,

不可見的維度

Mysterious places beyond the familiar

那些神秘的地方超出了

Three-dimensional space we know.

我們所熟悉的三維空間

People who've said that

認為空間存在著

There were extra dimensions of space,

另外維度的人

Have been labeled as,you know,crackpots

曾被冠名空想家

Or people who are bananas.

或瘋子

I mean,what,do you think there are extra dimensions?

我說 開玩笑 你竟然認為有另外的維度

Well,string theory really predicts it.

然而 弦理論的確預測了它們的存在

What we think of as our universe

我們想 我們的宇宙

Could just be one small part of something much bigger.

可能只是更大的東西的一小部分

Perhaps we live on a membrane,

也許我們生活在一個膜上

A three-dimensional membrane

一個在更高維度的空間裡

That floats inside higher dimensional space.

漂浮的三維膜上

There could be entire worlds right next to us,

也許在我們週遭 有很多完整的世界

But completely invisible.

但完全不可見

These other worlds would,in a very literal sense,

從很淺層的理解上來說 這些其他的世界

Be,be parallel universes.

可能是相互平行的

This isn't a particularly exotic or,or strange notion.

這不是什麼天方夜譚的想法

No wonder physics students are lining up

難怪學物理的學生都蜂擁而至

To explore the strange world of string theory.

來探索弦理論的奇妙世界

String theory is very active.

弦理論研究很活躍

Things are happening. there are a lot of people doing it.

不斷有進展 有很多人致力於此

Most of the young kids,given the choice,

大部分是年輕人 讓他們選擇

At a ratio of something like ten to one,

十之八九的人

They will go into string theory.

都會選擇弦理論

But strings weren't always this popular.

但弦不總是這麼受到追捧

The pioneers of string theory struggled for years,

弦理論的先驅們掙扎了很多年

Working alone on an idea that nobody else believed in.

獨自置身於沒人相信的理論研究

Here is generalized, For decades,

總體上 數十年來

Physicists believed that the tiniest bits inside an atom

物理學家認為原子內最小的基本粒子

Were point particles.

是點粒子

Flying around the outside were the electrons,

圍繞原子核旋轉的是電子

And inside were protons and neutrons

原子核內部的是質子和中子

Which were made up of quarks.

是由夸克組成的

But string theory says that what we thought

但弦理論認為

Were indivisible particles are actually tiny,

我們以為不可見的粒子

Vibrating strings.

實際上是振動的弦

It's nothing really mystical. it's a really tiny string.

沒什麼神秘的 只是很小的弦

It either closes in to its little circle or it has end points

要麼是閉弦 要麼是開弦

But it's just a little string.

總之都是很小的弦

In the 1980s,the idea caught on,

到了20世紀80年代 這理論變得流行起來

And people started jumping on the string bandwagon.

人們爭先恐後加入到弦的研究中來

Well,the fact that

事實上

Suddenly all these other people were working in the field

忽然很多人投入到一個領域的研究中

Had its advantages and its disadvantages.

有利有弊

It was wonderful to see

因為很多人的投入

How rapidly the subject could develop now,

使得這一學科得以快速發展

Because so many people were working on it.

是件非常美妙的事

One of the great attractions of strings is their versatility.

弦的吸引人之處在於它的多樣性

Just as the strings on a cello can vibrate

正如大提琴上的琴弦

At different frequencies,

以不同頻率振動

Making all the individual musical notes,

產生不同的音符

In the same way,

同理

The tiny strings of string theory

弦理論中的微小的弦

Vibrate and dance in different patterns,

以不同模式振動和舞蹈

Creating all the fundamental particles of nature.

產生了自然界的最基本的粒子

If this view is right,then put them all together

如果這一觀點沒錯 那麼把這些弦放在一起

And we get the grand and beautiful symphony

就奏出一曲宏大美妙的交響樂

That is our universe.

這就是我們的宇宙

What's really exciting about this

真正令人興奮的是

Is that it offers an amazing possibility.

它提供了一種極為神奇的可能性

If we could only master the rhythms of strings,

如果我們能掌握弦的韻律

Then we'd stand a good chance of explaining all the matter

那我們就極有可能能解釋自然界

And all the forces of nature,

從最小的亞原子粒子

From the tiniest subatomic particles

到外太空星系的

To the galaxies of outer space.

所有物質和作用力

This is the potential of string theory,

這就是弦理論的潛力

To be a unified "theory of everything."

成為統一的"萬物至理"

But,at first sight,in our enthusiasm for this idea,

但乍一看來 我們對這種理念的熱情

We seem to have gone too far.

似乎有點過了

Because we didn't produce just one string theory,

因為我們不僅提出了一種弦理論

Or even two—

或是兩種

We somehow managed to come up with five.

我們提出了五種理論

Five different string theories,

五種不同的弦理論

Each competing for the title of the theory of everything.

都在競爭著萬物至理的頭銜

And if there's going to be a

如果存在一個

"the fundamental theory of nature,"

"自然界的基本理論"

There ought to be one of them.

應該是其中的一種

I suppose a number of string theorists thought,

我想很多弦理論家在想

"ah,that's fantastic. that's wonderful."

"太棒了 太好了"

And maybe one of these will end up being the right theory

也許其中一個最終成為正確的理論

Of the world." and yet,

然而

There must have been a little nagging voice

在腦海中會有一個聲音

At the back of the head that said,

不斷地問

"well,why are there five?"

為什麼是五個呢

With five competing players,

有五個相互競爭者

The stage of string theory was looking a little crowded.

弦理論的舞台顯得有些擁擠

The five theories had many things in common.

這五種理論有許多共同點

For example,they all involved vibrating strings,

例如 他們都與振動的弦有關

But their mathematical details appeared

但他們在數學上的詳細表達

To be quite different.

卻完全不同

Frankly,it was embarrassing.

坦率的說 這有些讓人費解

How could this unified theory of everything

這種適用於一切事物的理論

Come in five different flavors?

怎麼會有五種不同版本

This was a case where more was definitely less.