人類首次探測到引力波！證實愛因斯坦理論

　　Scientists have for the first time observed ripples in the fabricof spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at the earth froma cataclysmic event in the distant universe. It confirms a majorprediction of Albert Einstein』s 1915 general theory of relativityand opens an unprecedented new window to the cosmos, according to agroup of scientists at a press conference in Washington onThursday.　　科學家首次探測到「時空的漣漪」-即引力波，它由宇宙深處的激變事件形成，到達地球後被探測到。周四，一組科學家在華盛頓新聞發布會上稱，這項發現證實了愛因斯坦1915年提出的廣義相對論，並且為人類認識宇宙打開了一扇史無前例的全新窗口。　　「This is truly scientific moonshot. We did it. We landed on themoon,」 exclaimed David Reitz, executive director of the LIGOLaboratory at Caltech, at the conference in the National PressClub.　　「這堪比科學界的登月計劃，我們做到了，我們登上月球了！」激光干涉引力波天文台的執行董事大衛賴茨在國家新聞俱樂部大聲宣布。　　According to the National Science Foundation (NSF) experts,gravitational waves carry information about their dramatic originsand about the nature of gravity that cannot be obtained fromelsewhere. Physicists have concluded that the detectedgravitational waves were produced during the final fraction of asecond of the merger of two black holes to produce a single, moremassive spinning black hole. This collision of two black holes hadbeen predicted but never observed.　　據美國國家科學基金會（NSF）的專家稱，引力波攜帶著引人注目的其最初起源的信息，並且攜帶著其他任何地方都無法獲得的引力本質的信息。物理學家已推斷出，探測到的引力波是在兩顆黑洞合併成一個更大的、高速旋轉的黑洞過程中，在最後若干分之一秒產生的。這兩個黑洞的碰撞早已被預言，但從未被觀測到。　　The gravitational waves were detected on Sept 14, 2015 at 5:51 amEDT by both of the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-waveObservatory (LIGO) detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, andHanford, Washington.　　這束引力波於2015年9月14日下午5：51分（東部夏季時）被探測到，探測儀器是分別位於路易斯安那州列文斯頓和華盛頓州漢福德的兩台孿生引力波探測器（LIGO）。　　Based on the observed signals, LIGO scientists estimate that theblack holes for this event were about 29 and 36 times the mass ofthe sun, and the event took place 1.3 billion years ago. Aboutthree times the mass of the sun was converted into gravitationalwaves in a fraction of a second -- with a peak power output about50 times that of the whole visible universe. By looking at the timeof arrival of the signals -- the detector in Livingston recordedthe event 7 milliseconds before the detector in Hanford --scientists can say that the source was located in the SouthernHemisphere, according to a press release from NSF, which funded theresearch.　　基於探測到的信號，LIGO科學家們估計這次碰撞的兩顆黑洞質量分別為29顆太陽和36顆太陽，碰撞大約發生在13億年前。約3顆太陽的質量在最後若干分之一秒轉化成引力波-以整個可見宇宙中最大輸出功率50倍的功率。據NSF（這項研究的投資方）的一篇新聞稿稱，通過觀察信號到達時間-列文斯頓探測器比漢福德探測器早7毫秒記錄了這個事件-科學家們能夠推斷源頭在南半球。　　According to general relativity, a pair of black holes orbitingaround each other lose energy through the emission of gravitationalwaves, causing them to gradually approach each other over billionsof years, and then much more quickly in the final minutes. Duringthe final fraction of a second, the two black holes collide atnearly half the speed of light and form a single more massive blackhole, converting a portion of the combined black holes』 mass toenergy, according to Einstein』s formula E=mc2. This energy isemitted as a final strong burst of gravitational waves. These arethe gravitational waves that LIGO observed.　　根據廣義相對論，一對圍繞著彼此旋轉的黑洞隨著引力波的發射而損失能量，導致它們在數十億年間逐漸相互靠近，在最後幾分鐘速度會大幅增加。根據愛因斯坦的方程E=mc2，在最後的若干分之一秒內，兩個黑洞以近乎1/2光速的速度碰撞，形成一個質量更大的黑洞，並將結合而成的黑洞質量的一部分轉化為能量。這部分能量會以強大引力波的形式釋放，即LIGO觀測到的引力波。　　The existence of gravitational waves was first demonstrated inthe 1970s and 1980s by Joseph Taylor, Jr., and colleagues. In 1974,Taylor and Russell Hulse discovered a binary system composed of apulsar in orbit around a neutron star. Taylor and Joel M. Weisbergin 1982 found that the orbit of the pulsar was slowly shrinkingover time because of the release of energy in the form ofgravitational waves. For discovering the pulsar and showing that itwould make possible this particular gravitational wave measurement,Hulse and Taylor were awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize inPhysics.　　引力波的存在最早是由約瑟夫泰勒和他的同事們於20世紀70年代和80年代證明的。1974年，泰勒和拉塞爾赫爾斯發現了一顆在軌道上運行的脈衝星，它位於一顆中子星附近。1982年，泰勒和約瑟夫M.韋斯伯格發現脈衝星軌道隨著時間推移逐步縮小，原因是能量以引力波形式發射了出去。由於發現了脈衝星而且這將可能使得引力波測量成為可能，赫爾斯和泰勒榮獲1993年諾貝爾物理學獎。　　The new LIGO discovery is the first observation of gravitationalwaves themselves, made by measuring the tiny disturbances the wavesmake to space and time as they pass through the earth.　　LIGO的新發現是人類首次觀測到引力波本身，通過測量引力波傳播經過地球時對時空造成的微小擾動而觀測到。　　「Our observation of gravitational waves accomplishes an ambitiousgoal set out over five decades ago to directly detect this elusivephenomenon and better understand the universe, and, fittingly,fulfills Einstein』s legacy on the 100th anniversary of his generaltheory of relativity,」 Reitze said.　　「我們這次觀測到引力波，實現了50多年前設立的宏偉目標-直接觀測這難以捕捉的現象，並且對宇宙有了更好的了解，而且值相對論100周年紀念日之時，證實了愛因斯坦遺留的理論。」賴茨說。　　LIGO research is carried out by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration(LSC), a group of more than 1,000 scientists from universitiesaround the United States and in 14 other countries. More than 90universities and research institutes in the LSC develop detectortechnology and analyze data; approximately 250 students are strongcontributing members of the collaboration.　　LIGO研究項目由LIGO科學合作組織（LSC）發起，LSC是由1000多名來自美國及其他14個國家的大學的科學家組成的團體。LSC中，超過90所大學和研究機構致力於開發探測技術和分析數據；約250名學生為這個合作組織做出了卓越貢獻。　　「This detection is the beginning of a new era: The field ofgravitational wave astronomy is now a reality,」 says GabrielaGonzalez, LSC spokesperson and professor of physics and astronomyat Louisiana State University.　　「這次探測是一個新紀元的開端：天文學的引力波領域現在成為了現實。」LSC發言人，兼路易斯安那州立大學的物理天文學教授加布里埃拉岡薩雷斯說。　　LIGO was originally proposed as a means of detectinggravitational waves in the 1980s by Rainer Weiss from MIT; KipThorne and Ronald Drever, both from Caltech.　　LIGO最初被提議用作探測引力波的方法是在1980年代，由麻省理工的雷納韋斯、加州理工學院的基普索恩和羅納德德雷弗提出。　　「The deion of this observation is beautifully described in theEinstein theory of general relativity formulated 100 years ago andcomprises the first test of the theory in strong gravitation. Itwould have been wonderful to watch Einstein』s face had we been ableto tell him,」 Weiss said.　　「這種探測方法在100年前愛因斯坦廣義相對論有過完美的描述，它成為強引力的最初驗證方法。如果我們有機會告訴愛因斯坦，能看到他的表情，那實在太棒了。」韋斯說。　　「With this discovery, we humans are embarking on a marvelous newquest: the quest to explore the warped side of the universe --objects and phenomena that are made from warped spacetime.Colliding black holes and gravitational waves are our firstbeautiful examples,」 said Thorne.　　「有了這項發現，人類要開始著手一段非凡的探索：探索宇宙的彎曲面-由扭曲時空構成的物體和現象。黑洞碰撞和引力波是我們漂亮的開端。」索恩說。
推薦閱讀：