VOA慢速：科学家或发现自然界中一种潜在的新粒子
欢迎来到今天的VOA慢速专区。
今天为大家带来一篇科技新闻。
Have you ever heard of a muon?
大家有听说过μ介子吗？
A muon is a very small particle similar to an electron.
μ介子是一种很小的粒子，与电子相似。
Electrons and protons are parts of the atoms that make up all matter.
电子和质子是原子的组成粒子，原子组成了所有物质。
Muons were discovered during an experiment in 1936.
μ介子是在1936年的一次实验中发现的。
Until now, most physicists have only been able to study muons for an extremely short period of time: two microseconds.
直到现在，大多数物理学家都只能在非常短的时间里研究μ介子：2微秒。
There are one million microseconds in one second.
1秒钟里有100万微秒。
But scientists are using new technology to study these particles for a longer period of time than in the past.
不过，通过新科技的使用，科学家们现在研究这种粒子的时间比之前更长了。
And with that extra time, they think they have made an exciting discovery.
有了更长的研究时间，科学家们认为他们做出了一项惊人的发现。
By watching the muons, they found that these particles do not behave as predicted.
通过观察μ介子，他们发现μ介子的行为方式与之前预测的不同。
Scientists have developed a group of expectations, or rules, in the years that they have studied particles that are smaller than an atom.
在研究这种比原子小的粒子的这些年里，科学家们研发了一组期望值，也可以称之为一组规则。
That group of rules is called the Standard Model.
这组规则名为标准模型。
Scientists agreed on the Standard Model about 50 years ago.
大概50年前，科学家们就标准模型达成了一致。
The Standard Model lets physicists make assumptions about the way extremely small particles move.
标准模型让物理学家们能就极其微小的粒子的移动方式作出假设。
Over time, experiments have proved that the assumptions of the Standard Model are correct.
随着时间的流逝，一些实验已经证明，标准模型的假设是正确的。
However, results of two different recent tests in Europe and America have scientists thinking again about their ideas.
不过，欧洲和美洲最近进行了2项不同的测试，测试结果再次引发了科学家们的思考。
The scientists who work at the research center called Fermilab, near Chicago, Illinois have done 8.2 billion tests with muons.
这些科学家在伊利诺斯州芝加哥附近的费米实验室工作，他们用μ介子作了82亿个实验。
They send them around a 14-meter magnetic track.
他们将μ介子发送到一个14米长的磁道附近。
The special track keeps the muons from disappearing for longer than usual, so they can be studied.
磁道这种特殊的轨道可以让μ介子存续比平时更长的时间，便于研究。
The tests showed scientists that the muons were behaving differently than the Standard Model predicted.
这些实验表明，μ介子的行为方式与标准模型预测的不同。
In tests going on at a research center near Geneva, Switzerland, scientists crash particles known as "beauty quarks" into each other.
在瑞士日内瓦附近某研究中心正在进行的实验中，科学家们将一种名为底夸克的粒子彼此相撞。
The Standard Model says these crashes should produce an equal number of electrons and muons each time.
标准模型显示，这种相撞应该可以产生同等数量的电子和μ介子。
However, researchers looked at data over several years and found 15 percent more electrons than muons resulted from the collisions.
但根据科学家数年来观测数据的发现，相撞后产生的电子数量比μ介子数量多15%。
They had expected nearly an equal number of both particles.
但科学家之前预测2种粒子的数量应该是近乎相等的。
The physicists are excited to be able to question the Standard Model.
科学家对于能向标准模型发出质疑感到很兴奋。
They think it means an important discovery might be coming in the near future.
他们认为，这表明不久的未来可能会出现一项重要的发现。
However, they say the information from the experiments still requires a lot of study.
不过，他们表示，实验所得的信息依然需要大量考究。
It will take another one or two years before they can make a firm statement.
他们还需要一两年的时间才能做出肯定的声明。
David Kaplan is a physicist at Johns Hopkins University.
大卫·卡普兰是美国约翰霍普金斯大学的一名物理学家。
He said if the experiments turn out to be correct, they could upset the world of particle physics.
他表示，如果实验是正确的，那么可能会颠覆粒子物理学的世界。
What the early data show is that there is an unknown particle or force acting on the muons.
早期数据显示，有一种不知名的粒子或力量作用于μ介子。
Aida El-Khadra who works at Fermilab said it would be the first big discovery in this part of physics in about 10 years.
阿伊达·埃尔·卡德拉在费米实验室工作，这是近10年的时间里粒子物理学的首个重大发现。
Chris Polly is one of the leaders of the project at Fermilab.
克里斯·波利是费米实验室该项目的负责人之一。
He said there could be a sea of background particles that have not yet been discovered.
他表示，可能有大量的背景粒子尚未被人发现。
He called them: monsters we haven't yet imagined.
他称这些粒子为未曾想象的野兽。
Alexey Petrov is a particle physicist at Wayne State University in Michigan.
阿列克谢·彼得罗夫是密歇根州韦恩州立大学的一名粒子物理学家。
He said the news of the discovery is tantalizing.
他表示，这次发现让人非常感兴趣。
Both groups doing the experiments want people to understand that their findings need to be confirmed with more tests.
这两组进行实验的科学家都希望人们明白，他们的发现需要更多实验才能得到证实。
In 2011, physicists thought they found something that made them question the Standard Model.
2011年，一些物理学家认为他们发现了让他们质疑标准模型的东西。
They said another particle, known as a neutrino, was traveling faster than the speed of light.
他们表示，另一种名为中微子的粒子，其速度比光速要快。
But after careful reexamination, they found the result came from loose electrical wiring in the experiment.
但经过仔细的考究后，他们发现，之所以会出现这样的结果是因为实验中的电线接得有些松了。
Sheldon Stone of Syracuse University is working on the project in Switzerland.
锡拉丘兹大学的谢尔登·斯通正在瑞士研究该项目。
Because of the problem in 2011, he said the scientists are being extra careful.
他表示，因为2011年出现的那个问题，科学家现在都非常谨慎。
We're kind of confident, about the results, he said. But you never know.
他表示，我们对于实验结果还是颇为有自信的，但还是审慎为好。
I'm Dan Friedell.
丹·弗里德尔为您播报。
这里是 美国之音 频道