评论
打印
Take this pool table.
看这个桌球台
The surface looks flat and smooth, but up close,
表面看起来平整光滑，但靠近了看
it's actually anything but.
实际并非如此
It's full of gaps and holes.
它的表面布满了裂缝和小孔
Even something as smooth as a pool ball
就连桌球这样的光滑事物
has tiny crevices, wrinkles, and voids.
都有小的裂缝，细纹和小孔
Now, it's easy to show that
显而易见
this is true in the first three dimensions,
这在三维空间里毋容置疑
but, trust me,
但是相信我
it's also true of the fourth dimension, as well.
在第四维空间里这也是正确的
There are tiny crevices, wrinkles, and voids
在时间空间里
in time.
也有小的裂缝，细纹和小孔
Down at the smallest of scales,
不断地缩到最小的范围
smaller even than molecules,
甚至比分子原子还微小时
smaller than atoms, we get to a place
我们所得到的
called the quantum foam.
就是量子泡沫
This is where wormholes exist.
虫洞就存在于此
Tiny tunnels, or shortcuts,
在量子的世界里
through space and time constantly form,
穿越时空的微小隧道或捷径
disappear, and reform within this quantum world.
不断地形成，消失，再形成
And they actually link two separate
它们实际上连接了两个独立的区域
places and two different times.
和两处不同的时间
Unfortunately, these real-life time tunnels are
不幸的是，这种真实存在的时间隧道
just a billion trillion trillionths of a centimeter across --
只有10的-33次方厘米的大小
way too small for a human to pass through.
远不足以容纳人类通过
But here's where the notion of wormhole time machines is leading.
但虫洞时间机器的概念正带来更多灵感
Some scientists think it may be possible to
一些科学家认为或许可以捕捉
capture one and enlarge it near trillions of times
其中一个虫洞将其放大数万亿倍
to make it big enough for a human
让它大到足以能让人类
or even a spaceship to enter.
甚至宇宙飞船进入
Given enough power and advanced technology,
假设有足够的能量和高科技
perhaps a giant wormhole could even be constructed in space.
或许可以在宇宙中构造一个巨大的虫洞
I'm not saying it can be done,
我不是说这一定可行
but if it could be,
但如果真能面世
it would be a truly remarkable device.
它将是一个非常卓越的机器
One end could be here near the earth,
一端在地球附近
and the other far, far away, near some distant planet.
而另一端则在遥远的星际
