一分钟脑筋急转弯 60-Second Adventures in Thought
薛定谔的猫 Schr?dinger's Cat
欧文 薛定谔是一位物理学家 Erwin Schr?dinger was a physicist
理论生物学家 a theoretical biologist
更是一位爱狗人士 and probably more of a dog person
20世纪20年代 In the nineteen-twenties
科学家发现了量子力学 scientists discovered Quantum Mechanics
指出有些粒子十分微小 which said that some particles are so tiny
如果不改变它们 根本无法对它们进行测量 you can't even measure them without changing them
但是这个理论的前提条件是 But the theory only worked if
在你测量这些粒子之前 before you measure them
它们就一直处于 the particle is in a 'super-position'
某种形式的叠加状态 of every possible state all at the same time
为了解决这一问题 To tackle that
薛定谔想象一只猫被关在一个盒子里 Schrodinger imagined a cat in a box
盒子里充满了放射性粒子 with a radioactive particle
以及一个放毒药的小瓶子 and a Geiger counter
瓶子上安装了一个盖格计数器 attached to a vial of poison
如果粒子能量衰减 If the particle decays
就会引发计数器 it triggers the Geiger counter
瓶子破碎释放出毒药 releases the poison
小猫就完蛋了 and bye bye Tiddles
但如果粒子处在两种状态中 But if the particle is in two states
即有衰减 也有不衰减的 both decayed and not decayed
那么小猫也有两种状态 the cat is also in two states
死的和活的 both dead and not dead
这种状态会保持到人们打开盒子为止 Until someone looks in the box
在实践中 In practice
处于叠加状态的猫是不可能存在的 it's impossible to put a cat into a superposition
否则动物保护团体就会找你麻烦了 You'd have the animal rights lobby up in arms
但你可以将原子分离出来 But you can isolate atoms
而且它们确实可以同时以两种状态出现 and they do seem to be in two states at once
量子力学颠覆了 Quantum mechanics challenges
我们有关现实的认识 our whole perception of reality
也许我们因此可以理解 So maybe it's understandable
为什么薛定谔本人不喜欢这个理论了 that Schr?dinger himself decided he didn't like it
而且为猫咪的遭遇感到内疚 and was sorry he ever started on about cats