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Of course, building a train that could
當(dāng)然，制造一列能達(dá)到如此速度的列車
reach such a speed is quite impossible.
幾乎是不可能的
But we have built something very like the train.
但我們已經(jīng)制造出了類似的儀器
At the world's largest particle accelerator
瑞士日內(nèi)瓦的歐洲核子研究所
at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.
坐落著世界上最大的粒子加速器
Deep underground, in a circular tunnel 16 miles long,
地下深處，長達(dá)16英里的環(huán)形管道內(nèi)
is a stream of trillions of tiny particles.
有一道萬億顆細(xì)小微粒所組成的粒子束
When the power is turned on, they accelerate from zero to
機器啟動的瞬間，它們能從靜止加速到
60,000 miles per hour in a fraction of a second.
6萬英里的時速
Increase the power, and the particles go faster and faster
增加動力，這些粒子便能不斷加速
until they're whizzing around the tunnel
直到粒子流能以每秒1.1萬圈的速度
at 11,000 times a second, which is almost the speed of light.
飛繞管道，這一速度已極近光速
But just like the train,
但正如虛擬的列車一樣
they never quite reach that ultimate speed.
它們永遠(yuǎn)不能達(dá)到光速
They can only get to 99.99% of the limit.
只能達(dá)到光速的99.99%
When that happens,
一旦達(dá)到這一速度
they, too, start to travel in time.
它們也能進(jìn)行時間旅行
We know this because of some extremely
我們在一種壽命極短的π介子上
short-lived particles called pi-mesons.
觀察到了時間旅行的過程
Ordinarily,
通常情況下
they disintegrate after just 25 billions of a second.
它們會在250億分之一秒后衰變
But when they are accelerated to near light speed,
但當(dāng)其加速到接近光速時
they last 30 times longer.
壽命變成了原來的30倍
These particles are real-life time travelers.
這些粒子，是活生生的時間旅行者
It really is that simple.
其實就是這么簡單
If we want to travel into the future, we just need to go fast.
如果想去未來旅行，我們只需跑快點
Really fast.
非常快
And I think the only way we're ever
我認(rèn)為，唯一能實現(xiàn)這個速度的地方
likely to do that is by going into space.
就是外太空
The fastest manned vehicle in history was Apollo 10.
阿波羅10號是史上最快的載人航天器
It reached 25,000 miles per hour.
達(dá)到了時速25000英里
But to travel in time,
但若要實現(xiàn)時間旅行
we'll have to go more than 2,000 times faster.
我們還需比這一速度快上2千倍
And to do that, we'd need a much bigger ship,
因此，我們需要一艘更大的飛船
a truly enormous machine.
一艘巨大的飛船
