about what I think is one of the greatest adventures

今天我要講的是

human beings have embarked upon,

一種最棒的探險

which is the quest to understand the universe

自人類啟程去尋找以來,最重要探險活動

and our place in it.

那就是,了解宇宙

My own interest in this subject, and my passion for it,

以及我們在宇宙中的地位

began rather accidentally.

我自己對這個主題的興趣及熱情從何而來?

I had bought a copy of this book,

開始其實很偶然

"The Universe and Dr. Einstein" --

我買過ㄧ本書

a used paperback from a secondhand bookstore in Seattle.

「宇宙和愛因斯坦先生」

A few years after that, in Bangalore,

在西雅圖的二手書店買的

I was finding it hard to fall asleep one night,

買了之後的幾年,在印度班加羅爾

and I picked up this book,

有天晚上,睡不著

thinking it would put me to sleep in 10 minutes.

我順手拿起這本書

And as it happened,

以為它能幫我快速在10分鐘內進入夢鄉

I read it from midnight to five in the morning in one shot.

結果

And I was left with this intense feeling

我從夜半讀到天色微明

of awe and exhilaration

那書帶給我極大的震撼

at the universe

對宇宙敬畏

and our own ability to understand as much as we do.

和興奮兼而有之

And that feeling hasn't left me yet.

以及我們雖然極盡的想要了解,但了解的又那麼的有限

That feeling was the trigger for me

那種感覺迄今猶存

to actually change my career --

並且引發我

from being a software engineer to become a science writer --

起了「轉行」念頭

so that I could partake in the joy of science,

從軟體工程師,成為一名科普文學作者

and also the joy of communicating it to others.

使我可以參與科學帶來的喜悅

And that feeling also led me

以及和其他人分享科學知識的喜悅

to a pilgrimage of sorts,

也是那種感覺

to go literally to the ends of the earth

引領我啟動一場朝聖之旅

to see telescopes, detectors,

朝著地球上的天之涯,水之巔向前

instruments that people are building, or have built,

去探訪望遠鏡,探測器

in order to probe the cosmos

這些人類曾經打造過,或正在興建中的科學儀器

in greater and greater detail.

奉宇宙之名而為之的探索

So it took me from places like Chile --

一步步探入了更多細節

the Atacama Desert in Chile --

所以,我去過智利

to Siberia,

智利的阿塔卡瑪沙漠

to underground mines

到過西伯利亞

in the Japanese Alps, in Northern America,

下過地底礦脈坑道

all the way to Antarctica

在日本阿爾卑斯山,北美洲

and even to the South Pole.

一路直到南極洲

And today I would like to share with you

甚至到了南極圈

some images, some stories of these trips.

今天要和各位分享

I have been basically spending the last few years

其中一些照片,及這些探索之旅的一些故事

documenting the efforts

最近幾年

of some extremely intrepid men and women

我一直在記錄著這些人的努力

who are putting,

這些有著大無畏精神的男性及女性

literally at times, their lives at stake

他們投入的

working in some very remote and very hostile places

有時候是冒著生命危險

so that they may gather the faintest signals from the cosmos

在一些極遙遠,極惡劣下的環境工作

in order for us to understand this universe.

為了收集宇宙中最微弱的一些信號

And I first begin with a pie chart --

然後,我們才能更多一點了解宇宙

and I promise this is the only pie chart

我要從餅形圖先開始說起

in the whole presentation --

我保證這是唯一一張會講數字的投影片

but it sets up the state of our knowledge of the cosmos.

整個短講中唯一的一張餅形圖

All the theories in physics that we have today

它用來說明我們對宇宙的粗淺認識

properly explain what is called normal matter --

今天已知的所有物理學理論

the stuff that we're all made of --

對正常物質都可以略做解釋

and that's four percent of the universe.

正常物質指的是我們身體組成物的這一類東西

Astronomers and cosmologists and physicists think

這些一共只佔宇宙的4%

that there is something called dark matter in the universe,

天文學家,宇宙學家和物理學者認為

which makes up 23 percent of the universe,

宇宙裡有暗物質

and something called dark energy,

構成宇宙的23%

which permeates the fabric of space-time,

然後還有暗能量

that makes up another 73 percent.

是瀰漫在整個空時架構當中的

So if you look at this pie chart, 96 percent of the universe,

暗能量佔了宇宙的73%

at this point in our exploration of it,

看看這張大餅圖,宇宙中96%

is unknown or not well understood.

以當今我們對它的探索而言

And most of the experiments, telescopes that I went to see

都仍屬未知,或不甚了解

are in some way addressing this question,

大多數我去看過在進行中的實驗或望遠鏡設備

these two twin mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.

為的都是要解答這個奧秘

I will take you first to an underground mine

暗物質和暗能量的雙子之謎

in Northern Minnesota

首先帶各位去看一個地下坑道

where people are looking

位在明尼蘇達北方

for something called dark matter.

這裡有些人在找

And the idea here is that they are looking for a sign

暗物質這種東西

of a dark matter particle hitting one of their detectors.

概念上來說,他們找一個訊號

And the reason why they have to go underground

如果有暗物質粒子撞上了它們的偵測器的話,會發出一個信號

is that, if you did this experiment on the surface of the Earth,

為什麼他們得待在地底下

the same experiment would be swamped by signals

原因,這個實驗若在地表上進行

that could be created by things like cosmic rays,

太多地面上的雜訊會把這個關鍵信號淹沒掉

ambient radio activity,

譬如說宇宙射線之物

even our own bodies. You might not believe it,

到處都有的無線電信號

but even our own bodies are radioactive enough to disturb this experiment.

甚至我們的身體,也許難以置信

So they go deep inside mines

但是你身體發出的信號都可能引響實驗的結果

to find a kind of environmental silence

所以他們得深入地底下

that will allow them to hear

找到一個沉寂之處

the ping of a dark matter particle hitting their detector.

以便聽得到

And I went to see one of these experiments,

暗物質粒子撞上偵測器時發出的那個聲響

and this is actually -- you can barely see it,

我去看過他們的一場試驗

and the reason for that is it's entirely dark in there --

現場像這樣 -- 幾乎啥都看不見

this is a cavern that was left behind by the miners

原因是那裡幾乎完全漆黑一片

who left this mine in 1960.

這是個礦產業所留下來的洞穴

And physicists came and started using it

他們1960年左右停止採礦

sometime in the 1980s.

然後物理學者開始接手

And the miners in the early part of the last century

運用這座礦坑是在1980年

worked, literally, in candlelight.

上個世紀早期的礦工事實上

And today, you would see this inside the mine,

是靠著燭光在這裡工作

half a mile underground.

今天在這個地方

This is one of the largest underground labs in the world.

大約深達地下半英里之處

And, among other things, they're looking for dark matter.

這是世上少數幾個大型地下實驗室之ㄧ

There is another way to search for dark matter,

他們有好幾個目標,其中之ㄧ是尋找暗物質

which is indirectly.

有好幾個方法可以尋找暗物質

If dark matter exists in our universe,

是以間接方式

in our galaxy,

如果暗物質存在於宇宙中

then these particles should be smashing together

在我們的銀河系裡

and producing other particles that we know about --

那麼這些粒子應該會撞在一起

one of them being neutrinos.

創造出其他我們已知的粒子

And neutrinos you can detect

其中之ㄧ就是微中子

by the signature they leave

探測微中子的方式是

when they hit water molecules.

可追蹤它們遺留的軌跡

When a neutrino hits a water molecule

它們撞擊水分子時

it emits a kind of blue light,

當微中子撞擊水分子時

a flash of blue light,

它會發出一種藍色光

and by looking for this blue light,

藍色的閃光

you can essentially understand something about the neutrino

尋找這種藍色光

and then, indirectly, something about the dark matter

對微中子的了解可能會增加一些認識

that might have created this neutrino.

意味著我們對暗物質的認識也能更進一步

But you need very, very large volumes of water

微中子,有可能是由暗物質而來

in order to do this.

但我們需要很大量的水

You need something like tens of megatons of water --

才能進行這個觀察實驗

almost a gigaton of water --

需要上千萬噸的水

in order to have any chance of catching this neutrino.

幾乎上億噸的水

And where in the world would you find such water?

為了要有點機會抓住微中子

Well the Russians have a tank in their own backyard.

世界上哪裡有這麼多水的地方?

This is Lake Baikal.

俄羅斯的後院裡有個水庫

It is the largest lake in the world. It's 800 km long.

貝加爾湖

It's about 40 to 50 km wide

全世界最大的湖。長800公里

in most places,

寬度40到50公里

and one to two kilometers deep.

多數的深度

And what the Russians are doing

約1到2公里

is they're building these detectors

俄羅斯人現在做的工作是

and immersing them about a kilometer beneath the surface of the lake

建造這些探測器

so that they can watch for these flashes of blue light.

埋到河面底下一公里深的地方

And this is the scene that greeted me when I landed there.

為了找尋這些一閃而過的藍色光

This is Lake Baikal

我降落在那裡的時候迎接我的就是這樣的景象

in the peak of the Siberian winter.

這是貝加爾湖

The lake is entirely frozen.

在西伯利亞冬季最低溫時

And the line of black dots

整個湖完全結冰

that you see in the background,

黑色點點的線

that's the ice camp where the physicists are working.

就是你在背景上看到的那些線

The reason why they have to work in winter

是在那裡工作的物理學家紮營的地點

is because they don't have the money to work in summer and spring,

必須在冬季裡工作的原因是

which, if they did that,

他們沒有在春夏季裡進行這些工作所需要的經費

they would need ships and submersibles to do their work.

因為如果那樣的話

So they wait until winter --

他們需要船和潛水艇才行

the lake is completely frozen over --

所以等到冬季

and they use this meter-thick ice

這時湖面完全結冰

as a platform on which to establish their ice camp and do their work.

運用厚度達一公尺的冰

So this is the Russians working on the ice

得以在冰上建立營地以便工作得以展開

in the peak of the Siberian winter.

所以俄羅斯人在冰上的工作

They have to drill holes in the ice,

是這樣在西伯利亞最天寒地凍的冬季裡進行的

dive down into the water -- cold, cold water --

必須在冰上鑿洞

to get hold of the instrument, bring it up,

潛水到水中 -- 很冷很冷的水中

do any repairs and maintenance that they need to do,

取得儀器,帶上水面來

put it back and get out before the ice melts.

進行任何必要的修理和維修

Because that phase of solid ice lasts for two months

然後在冰層融化之前再趕快把儀器放回水底下去

and it's full of cracks.

因為堅硬冰層只維持為期兩個月

And you have to imagine, there's an entire sea-like lake

完全像石頭一樣硬

underneath, moving.

想像一面向海一樣遼闊無邊的湖

I still don't understand this one Russian man

在那湖面底下移動

working in his bare chest,

我迄今仍未明白這位俄羅斯男人

but that tells you how hard he was working.

赤裸著胸膛工作

And these people, a handful of people,

但這至少說明他有多認真工作

have been working for 20 years,

這些人,數量不算少

looking for particles that may or may not exist.

已經如此工作了20年

And they have dedicated their lives to it.

尋找或許存在或不存在的粒子

And just to give you an idea,

為此獻上自己的生命

they have spent 20 million over 20 years.

為了讓你有點概念

It's very harsh conditions.

20年來他們只花了2千萬

They work on a shoestring budget.

條件很差

The toilets there are literally holes in the ground

預算極為微薄

covered with a wooden shack.

冰上挖的洞就是洗手間

And it's that basic,

上面加塊木板

but they do this every year.

這麼原始

From Siberia to the Atacama Desert in Chile,

年復一年的做

to see something called The Very Large Telescope.

接下來,從西伯利亞我們去看智利的阿塔卡瑪沙漠

The Very Large Telescope

去看一組叫做甚大望遠鏡的光學望遠鏡

is one of these things that astronomers do --

「甚大望遠鏡」

they name their telescopes rather unimaginatively.

天文學家習慣

I can tell you for a fact,

取一些沒什麼想像力的名字

that the next one that they're planning is called The Extremely Large Telescope.

我直接告訴各位

(Laughter)

下一個計畫中的陣列,名字就叫做特大陣列望遠鏡

And you wouldn't believe it,

(笑聲)

but the one after that is going to be called The Overwhelmingly Large Telescope.

你不會相信

But nonetheless,

再下一個又會叫做超級特大陣列望遠鏡

it's an extraordinary piece of engineering.

不管怎麼說

These are four 8.2 meter telescopes.

這是工程史上了不起的一個傑作

And these telescopes, among other things,

4架8.2米望遠鏡

they're being used to study

這些望遠鏡有許多目的

how the expansion of the universe is changing with time.

還包括用來研究

And the more you understand that,

宇宙如何隨著時間而擴張

the better you would understand

愈多了解一些

what this dark energy that the universe is made of is all about.

就愈明白

And one piece of engineering that I want to leave you with

暗能量--一種生成了宇宙的東西--是什麼

as regards this telescope

我要把一樣了不起的

is the mirror.

和這望遠鏡相關的工程傑作向各位介紹

Each mirror, there are four of them,

是望遠鏡的鏡面

is made of a single piece of glass,

一共有四個鏡面,每一面

a monolithic piece of high-tech ceramic,

都由一塊玻璃製成

that has been ground down and polished to such accuracy

單一一塊高科技陶瓷技術

that the only way to understand what that is

被細磨,拋光到非常精準之程度

is [to] imagine a city like Paris,

怎樣想像了解這研磨達到多精密?

with all its buildings and the Eiffel Tower,

你可以想像一個像巴黎一樣大的城市

if you grind down Paris to that kind of accuracy,

所有建築物和艾菲爾鐵塔

you would be left with bumps that are one millimeter high.

如果你以它的精準度去磨碎巴黎的話

And that's the kind of polishing that these mirrors have endured.

碎塊大約只有一毫米厚

An extraordinary set of telescopes.

這些鏡面承受過的研磨拋光精細度就是如此高

Here's another view of the same.

令人驚嘆的望遠鏡陣列組

The reason why you have to build these telescopes

另一個圖像

in places like the Atacama Desert

建造這些望遠鏡的理由

is because of the high altitude desert.

建造在阿塔卡瑪沙漠中

The dry air is really good for telescopes,

是因為在高緯度的沙漠中

and also, the cloud cover is below the summit of these mountains

乾燥的空氣才適合望遠鏡看得遠

so that the telescopes have

並且,山頂高度已超過雲層

about 300 days of clear skies.

這些望遠鏡一年

Finally, I want to take you to Antarctica.

有300個無雲的天空可進行觀測

I want to spend most of my time on this part of the world.

最後我要帶你到北極洲

This is cosmology's final frontier.

我很想把大部分時間都花在這個角落

Some of the most amazing experiments,

這裡是宇宙學的最後一個前線區

some of the most extreme experiments,

最奇異的一些實驗

are being done in Antarctica.

最最超乎想像的實驗

I was there to view something called a long-duration balloon flight,

就是在南極洲這裡進行的

which basically takes telescopes and instruments

我在那裡要看的是個叫做超長續航時間的氣球飛行計畫

all the way to the upper atmosphere,

基本上搭載的全都是望遠鏡和儀器

the upper stratosphere, 40 km up.

飛上大氣層高層

And that's where they do their experiments,

同溫層的上層,約40公里以上

and then the balloon, the payload, is brought down.

實驗就在那裡進行

So this is us landing on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

然後氣球以及乘載之物,又再被帶下來

That's an American C-17 cargo plane

這是我們,降落在南極洲的Ross Ice Shelf 這個地方

that flew us from New Zealand

這是一架美國 C-17 貨機

to McMurdo in Antarctica.

我們從紐西蘭啟程

And here we are about to board our bus.

抵達南極區的McMurdo

And I don't know if you can read the lettering,

在這裡我們要搭轉乘巴士

but it says, "Ivan the Terribus."

不知你能否看清楚上面寫的字

And that's taking us to McMurdo.

可以的話,所寫上的是「伊凡的恐怖巴士」

And this is the scene that greets you in McMurdo.

就是這個車,載我們前往McMurdo

And you barely might be able to make out

那裡,列隊歡迎您光臨的是這個景象

this hut here.

在那裡幾乎很難拼湊出

This hut was built by Robert Falcon Scott and his men

甚至只是一間像這樣的小屋

when they first came to Antarctica

它是由羅伯法坎司考特和他的團隊建造的

on their first expedition to go to the South Pole.