愛因斯坦也會犯錯 險些撤回引力波理論

With the announcement Thursday that scientists had discovered direct evidence of gravitational waves, one of Albert Einstein’s wildest theories was validated. It was further proof (as if any were needed) of Einstein’s genius.

上週四，科學家們宣佈觀測到了引力波存在的直接證據，從而證實了阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦(Albert Einstein)的一個最令人難以置信的理論。這又一次印證了愛因斯坦是個天才（說得好像還需要什麼證明似的）。

But being a genius did not prevent the scientist, who died in 1955, from making mistakes. Some of his most significant errors occurred when he refused to believe the implications of his own ideas.

不過，身爲天才，這位1955年辭世的科學家也不能避免自己犯錯。他的一些最重大的失誤源於不願相信自己的理論能推導出一些結論。

Lawrence M. Krauss, a theoretical physicist at Arizona State University, walked us through four of Einstein’s notable blunders.

亞利桑那州立大學(Arizona State University)的理論物理學家勞倫斯·M·克勞斯(Lawrence M. Krauss)給我們介紹了愛因斯坦犯下的四個不小的錯誤。

1. Quantum Entanglement

一、量子糾纏

Einstein referred to this physical phenomenon, which suggests that objects separated by great distances can affect one another, as “spooky action at a distance.” He rejected the possibility, refusing to believe that objects could influence each other no matter how far apart they were.

這種物理現象意味着，相隔甚遠的物體之間可以相互影響，曾被愛因斯坦稱爲“鬼魅般的超距作用”。他否認了這種可能性，拒絕相信無論離得有多遠的物體之間都可能相互影響。

“He didn’t think the spooky action at a distance would be verified, but it was,” Dr. Krauss said. “He thought that was somehow unphysical. He presented this as an example of why quantum mechanics is probably wrong, but in fact it’s right.”

“他認爲鬼魅般的超距作用不會被證實，但它就是被證實了，”克勞斯博士說。“他覺得這不符合物理原理。他舉出這個例子，是爲了說明爲什麼量子力學很可能是錯誤的，結果它其實是正確的。”

A study released by a group of scientists in October provided the strongest evidence yet to support the claim. It followed a string of other experiments that have been conducted since the 1970s that suggest Einstein was too dismissive.

去年10月，一羣科學家公佈的研究成果提供了迄今爲止支持這種說法最爲有力的證據。在此之前，有一系列自70年代以來的實驗表明愛因斯坦太過武斷。

“These tests have been done since the late ’70s but always in the way that additional assumptions were needed,” one of the scientists involved told The Times in October. “Now we have confirmed that there is spooky action at distance.”

“從70年代末開始就做了這些實驗，但一直都需要做些額外的假設，”其中一名科學家在去年10月份告訴時報。“現在我們證實，的確存在鬼魅般的超距作用。”

2. Gravitational Lensing

二、引力透鏡效應

In 1936, Einstein published an article in Science magazine, detailing what he called “lens-like action of a star by the deviation of light in the gravitational field,” or, in less scientific terms, the idea that objects in space could divert light.

在1936年，愛因斯坦在《科學》雜誌(Science)上發表了一篇文章，詳細解釋了他口中的“恆星讓通過引力場的光線發生偏差的類似透鏡的效應”。用更平白的語言來說，就是太空中的物體可以扭曲光線。

“Of course,” he wrote offhandedly, “there is no hope of observing this phenomenon directly.”

“當然了，”他隨手寫到，“沒有直接觀測到這一現象的希望。”

But Dr. Krauss said: “He only thought of lensing by stars and didn’t think of galaxies. He really wasn’t much of an astronomer.”

然而，克勞斯說：“愛因斯坦只考慮到了恆星的透鏡效應，沒有想到星系。他的確不那麼精通天文學。”

Gravitational lensing has become one of the most useful techniques available to scientists in mapping the universe.

引力透視效應如今成爲了讓科學家得以繪製宇宙圖譜的最有用的技術之一。

3. The Cosmological Constant

三、宇宙常數

In trying to apply his general theory of relativity to the structure of the universe, Einstein threw into his equation a term representing a “cosmological constant,” because he believed he needed to represent a repulsive force that would counter the attractive force of gravity in order to represent the universe as static.

在嘗試將相對論的基本理論運用到宇宙構造中的時候，愛因斯坦在方程中加入了代表“宇宙常數”的一項，因爲他認爲，爲了得到靜態宇宙，需要加上這一項來代表制衡引力的一種斥力。

Years later, when it was discovered that the universe was expanding, Einstein discarded the term. He was said to have called it “his biggest blunder.” (Though in recent years, questions have been raised about whether that quote was misreported.)

多年以後，科學家發現宇宙在膨脹，於是愛因斯坦摒棄了這一常數。據稱他把宇宙常數叫做“自己最大的錯誤”。（不過，近年來，有關這句話是否爲誤傳的疑問浮出了水面。）

In any case, Dr. Krauss said that Einstein should not be criticized for attempting to balance the equation, since the idea that the universe was static was accepted at the time. But, he said, that does not let Einstein off the hook.

無論如何，克勞斯表示，那個年代大家公認宇宙是靜態的，愛因斯坦不應該因爲試圖讓方程成立而受到批評。但他又稱，這並不意味着愛因斯坦就可以免責。

“The second aspect is, it was also a mathematical blunder because the cosmological constant doesn’t produce a static universe,” he said. “It makes the universe expand faster and faster, which is what we’re experiencing right now.”

“換個角度來看，這也是一個數學錯誤，因爲宇宙常數並不能得到靜態宇宙，”他說。“會得到的結論反而是宇宙在越來越快地膨脹，也就是我們現在的理解。”

“Had he had the courage of his convictions, in some sense, he would have realized that his theory required a universe to be expanding, not one that was static, and he could have predicted it,” he added. “And as I often say, if he just could have predicted it, he would have been famous.”

“在某種程度上，假如愛因斯坦有相信的勇氣，就會意識到自己的理論成立的前提是宇宙在膨脹，而不是靜態的，那麼他就能做出這一預測，”克勞斯還表示。“我時常說，哪怕他只是預測出宇宙在膨脹，那他也會很出名。”

(The cosmological constant, as it turns out, may not have been so wrongheaded. NASA scientists say that the term “significantly improves the agreement between theory and observation.” Dr. Krauss says that it is possible that dark energy may act in exactly the way that the term was originally meant to represent.)

（現在看來，宇宙常數或許並非錯得離譜。美國航空航天局[NASA]的科學家們表示，這個概念“極大地促進了理論與實測之間的融合”。克勞斯則稱，有可能暗能量的行爲恰好就符合這一概念當初代表的含義。）

4. Gravitational Waves

四、引力波

Direct evidence of gravitational waves has Einstein back in the news again now, since he originally proposed their existence a century ago. So it’s funny to learn that he changed his mind, 20 years after suggesting the idea.

引力波存在的直接證據如今讓愛因斯坦再次回到了新聞裏，因爲正是他在一個世紀前最先提出了該理論。有意思的是，在提出這一概念20年後，他改變了主意。

“He wrote a paper saying they don’t exist, and retracted the idea,” Dr. Krauss said. “It turned out he had made a mathematical error that was only discovered just before he was going publish” the retraction.

“愛因斯坦寫了篇論文說引力波並不存在，要收回這個理論，”克勞斯說。“結果是他犯了個數學錯誤，在他馬上就要發表（收回）文章的時候，錯誤被發現了。”

That paper was rejected by a first journal, Physical Review, Dr. Krauss said, after the mathematician and physicist reviewing the paper, Howard P. Robertson, found the error.

克勞斯說，這篇論文先是投給了《物理評論》(Physical Review)，然而進行評議的數學家、物理學家霍華德·P·羅伯遜(Howard P. Robertson)發現了錯誤，於是文章被雜誌拒收。

Einstein, angry at having his paper reviewed, planned to publish it in another, obscure journal, but found his error independently and managed to rewrite the paper so that it was accurate before it was published

愛因斯坦對自己的文章竟被拿去評議感到憤怒，準備把它發表到另一份不出名的期刊上。不過，他自己也發現了這個錯誤，設法重寫了論文，弄準確了之後才發表。

“He wanted to retract the very thing we just discovered this year,” Dr. Krauss said, chuckling. “I think it’s a nice bit of poetry.”

“他想要收回我們今年剛剛實測到了的東西，”克勞斯自己笑了起來。“我覺得這真是有點詩意啊。”