Chapter 304 (1/2)
In the garden behind the teaching building, Fu Xuefeng took the assistant professor's arm.
”Let's go and have a cigarette over there.”
The assistant looked back at Li Zheng, who was approaching the professor. His face was a little tight: ”the school asked me not to leave...”
”People always need a little bit of privacy.” Fu Xuefeng pushed the assistant and said, ”give them 20 minutes.”
”No How can it be like a matchmaker... ” The assistant scratched his head. ”That's it. I have to see the professor all the time.”
On the other side, the professor watched Li Zheng approaching step by step and felt the same urgency.
Generally, he took the initiative to meet the young students, but this time he couldn't step forward.
Fortunately, although Li Zheng looked terrible, he just took the professor's arm like other students, and even lowered his head shyly: ”sorry, Professor It's a rare opportunity. I beg Mr. Fu to see you. ”
”Oh, it doesn't matter. I'll get a little more sunshine, too.” The professor raised his sleeve with a smile. ”We may still have the plant part of our body, which needs sunlight to promote the synthesis of some vitamins.”
”Yes, yes, I've just learned this part.” Li Zheng stammered, ”specifically, 7-dehydrocholesterol under the skin can be converted into vitamin D3 by ultraviolet or sunlight...”
”Ah Right... ”
In this awkward atmosphere, Li Zheng and the professor sat on the bench together.
Nervous, Li Zheng is really nervous this time.
In fact, he was thinking about the opening remarks all the way.
For example
”Oh, it's all due to you, professor. Now those who engage in theoretical physics can only go to the whole quantum mechanics and string theory.”
This opening speech perfectly shows emotional intelligence. On the surface, it is trying to narrow the distance with complaining tone. In fact, it is praising the great achievements of the professor.
But it seems to be a little too grandiose.
Then, for example
”Why is parity not conserved? Have you ever guessed?”
It seems good to start with the famous theory of the professor, but I always feel that I am not worthy to discuss this issue with the professor.
Or
”What do you call your father-in-law when you see him?”
Forget it, it's a search for death
Although I am very curious about this question, I seem to have to be so familiar with Zhang Xiaoke to make this kind of joke.
What should I say?
The professor seemed to see his embarrassment. He just gave a gentle smile and patted Li Zheng's hand: ”don't be nervous. Take your time. When I was as nervous as you, he said so, but with a straight face.”
”Who?” Li Zheng asked subconsciously.
”Einstein.”
“……” Li Zheng's knees softened and he felt an impulse to kneel down. Fortunately, he was sitting in a chair.
”Ha ha ha.” The professor said with a smile, ”at that time, I was a young postdoctoral, and published a small paper. After reading it, Einstein thought that it overlapped with his pursuit of unified field theory, so he asked me to go to the office for a talk. I was almost like you at that time. I went there with a pilgrimage mentality. At the same time, I was greedy, hoping to get some wisdom.”
Hearing this, Li Zheng bowed his head in shame: ”no, no, I'm far away. I don't have any papers. I'm just greedy...”
The professor said with a smile, ”I can see. But wisdom is not something that can be passed on or sucked away like in martial arts novels. ”
This It's not easy to say
Although he had some small ideas, Li Zheng nodded steadily on the surface: ”did you get it then?”
”The only thing I get is that I can talk about it now.” The professor spread out his hand and said, ”Einstein's mental state in his later years was not very good. He would mix a lot of German when he spoke. We talked for an hour and a half. Maybe he said a lot of wonderful ideas, but I basically didn't understand anything. I could only pretend to nod, just like the students in my class. So
The professor relaxed and leaned back in his chair: ”I don't have any future direction in physics. I don't know what major I choose to be more developed. I don't even know why parity is not conserved. In fact, outside my narrow field, my knowledge is almost certainly not as good as yours, for example, what you just said about 7 Cholesterol All I know is that I have to control my cholesterol, or my cardiovascular system will be ruined. ”
”You are so modest...” Li Zheng said with a smile, ”you say you don't know anything, but at least you will oppose the construction of high-energy particle collider, right?”
”To correct you, I never object to the collider. I just oppose the construction of the collider in China now.”
The professor described it carefully.
”First, this is a bottomless hole. No matter the budget is 10 billion US dollars or 20 billion US dollars, it will be forced to increase and double. In 1989, magnesium people did this, and finally the budget was added to their total inability to afford, until the project was terminated in 1992. The lesson is in front of us. We are far from the time of capital mania. ””Second, China is still in a developing country, and there are too many places that need funds. Whether from the perspective of political science, economics or mathematical expectation, it is not a wise thing to bet on a super project that is difficult to achieve results at this stage.”
”Third, if we do this, then the funding for life science, condensed matter physics and Astrophysics will be greatly squeezed. You will see that high energy is full of people, while students of other majors have no place to settle down. It's good to seek great development in basic physics, but I don't want to see a particle collider swallow up half of the funding of scientific research. Of course, the Institute of high energy hopes to see it
”Fourth, the core purpose of the large-scale collider is to find supersymmetric particles, which the world has been doing for many years, and it has completely failed. Most physicists, including myself, think that the existence of such particles is only a guess. They hope to find the particles in this conjecture with the maxima Collider, which is just a conjecture. It is just like a person who believes that hell exists and wants to make a big drill to dig into the core to find it. ”
”Fifthly, China accounts for less than 1% of the world's important high-energy physicists. If China wants to build a super large Collider, its design, operation and analysis after completion will be dominated by 90% of foreign people. Do you believe these achievements will be handed over to China honestly? Do you believe that the Nobel Prize winners in the future will be Chinese? ”
”In the end, if we don't build a Super Collider, will high-energy physics have no future at all?”
”Of course not.
”We can look for new accelerator principles, or we can look for wonderful geometries like string theory.”
”Is it really necessary to build a savage machine like gambling in an age of no inspiration, expecting it to explain everything?”
”Cough...” The professor finally coughed and then shook his head. ”These words are critically absorbed by you. They are probably just stubborn words of an old man. I know you young people like colliders. I'm sorry to say too much...”
”Not much, please continue.” Li Zheng glared at the way, ”you clearly have a lot of ideas.”
”Well...” The professor asked in some doubt, ”most young people will take the opposite position with me on this matter. You just pretend to agree with me, right?”
”No, I don't agree, I don't object.” Li Zheng nodded, ”I just As you say, absorb critically. ”
”What part did you absorb?”
”About Give up your personal position and think about the overall situation. ” Li Zheng said, ”a considerable part of your academic achievements have been verified by high-energy physics experiments. If you continue to do so, more will be verified. In addition, you should stand on the side of high-energy physics. However, you put down your personal feelings and interests and think about this issue from the perspective of overall scientific research and national strategy. At least I can't If the power is handed over to people like me, I'm afraid that the whole country will have to eat coarse grain and all the funds will go to scientific research. ”
”Ha ha ha Ha ha... ” The professor laughed for a long time, and patted Li Zheng with some detachment. ”Just for your self-knowledge, this kind of thing will not happen.”
”Ha.” Li Zheng scratched his head and said, ”seriously, I was a 100% zealous supporter of the Collider before I heard these words from you. Now, there may be only 37%. In addition to my recent experience, maybe these things are just what high energy insists on for more funds and resources... ”
”There's nothing wrong with high energy. Even if they argue with me, they have the right to work for their position in their field.” ”After all, not everyone is over 90 years old with the best free medical care and endless subsidies,” the professor said with a smile
”Speaking of this...” Li Zheng clenched his fist and felt the atmosphere. He asked gambling, ”you What do you call your father-in-law? ”
“……” The professor's look became serious in an instant.
“……” Li Zheng was flustered.
It's over. It's fun.
However, the professor laughed and patted Li Zheng's forehead: ”the young old man who is more than 20 years old dare not ask me to call me dad. The first time I met, he made it clear that everyone in his family called him by his first name, but in practice I did call his name, but he still called me Professor, or helped me to say... ”
”Ah.” Li Zheng opened his mouth wide. ”How embarrassing this is.”
”It's not bad.” The professor pursed, ”my son, who is nearly 70 years old, was embarrassed when he first met his stepmother who was less than 30 years old. My granddaughter was quite natural.”
”My age, after all...”
Just saying, assistant and Fu Xuefeng rushed over.
”Sorry, Professor Did you catch a cold when you coughed just now The assistant pushed the wheelchair angrily, ”or go back to take medicine first?”
”No, no, it's just a bit of a laugh.” The professor raised his hand and said, ”take the medicine and I'll get some more sunshine.”
”Ah...” The assistant looked at Li Zheng in astonishment.