Chapter 174 A call from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
PS: Yesterday’s article was blocked by review for some reason, and it took me a long time to publish it again.
Looking at the somewhat noisy office, David Gross' thoughts fell on the eighteen-year-old boy.
In less than four months at CERN, that teenager successfully solved the mystery of the proton radius, calculated the optimal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark, and successfully verified it through a collision experiment.
The former solved several years of problems in the particle physics community, while the latter affected the future of the entire high-energy physics community.
It can be said that one can single-handedly set the entire high-energy physics community in motion, and even influence the decisions of the CERN Council to a certain extent. Looking at the development of high-energy physics, there are not many such people.
And every time such a person appears, it is enough to promote the development of science.
Dark matter? Dark energy?
Perhaps, in his lifetime, he can really see the day when something beyond the standard model is discovered?
Somehow, Gross, who was clearly past his seventies, felt a slight rhythm surge in his calm heart.
This may be the outlook for the future. Of course, this is also inseparable from Xu Chuan's brilliant achievements.
Thinking about it, David Gross suddenly came back to his senses and shook his head with a dumb smile.
He actually placed the burden of scientific development on an eighteen-year-old boy whom he had only met a few times. This was incredible.
On the other side, in the hotel, Chen Zhengping and others were packing their things and preparing to return home.
In fact, if Xu Chuan had not calculated the optimal search decay channel for the Yukawa coupling of Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks, and jumped in line to apply for a new collision experiment, the scientific research teams from three domestic universities would have returned long ago. .
After all, everyone has their own things and tasks, and they are not idlers.
"Xuchuan, when will you return to Princeton?"
In the office, Chen Zhengping asked while packing his things.
Xu Chuan thought for a while and said: "It will probably take another week?"
"Originally I was planning to go back in the next two days, but Professor Gross came to see me two days ago and asked me to hold one or two more lectures at CERN to explain the calculation of Higgs and the third generation Method of Yukawa coupling energy level channel for heavy quarks”
Chen Zhengping raised his head and said, "This is a good thing. If there hadn't been something unexpected at school, I would have wanted to stay and listen."
"If your method can be generalized, it will be of great significance to the high-energy physics community."
Xu Chuan smiled: "It is basically impossible to be universal. After all, the characteristics of each particle or collision phenomenon are different, especially those unknown particles."
"The Yukawa coupling energy channel between Higgs and the third-generation heavy quark can be found this time. In fact, a large part of it is due to the standard model and previous experimental data. These things determine the inevitability of Higgs decay."< br>
"If it is a brand-new particle, such as a supersymmetric particle, it will be more difficult to find."
Based on this, Xu Chuan would not mind holding a few more seminars at CERN to explain the calculation methods.
If it was universal and could use this method to calculate other unknown particles, such as axial particles, dark matter, dark energy, and sterile neutrinos, he might not be able to agree so easily.
These things are his future achievements, and he is not so kind to give them to others.
High-energy physics studies the future of mankind, but many things may not have much effect when they are first discovered. But looking back a few years, ten years or decades later, many things can change the world.
But even if it is not a universal tool, this calculation method that combines mathematics and physics can bring some inspiration to others.
It's like building an atomic bomb.
There are pioneers who have succeeded, and latecomers can quickly figure it out even if they don’t know the specific manufacturing process.
After all, the road is clearly pointed out, and if there is a direction, it will be much easier for those who come after us.
What's more, everything about mathematical physics theory is public.
Chen Zhengping also understood this, skipped the topic with a smile, and said: "Remember to keep other invoices such as air tickets, so that you can mail them back to your country or take them back when you return to your country during the New Year, and you can be reimbursed. ”
Xu Chuan nodded. Reimbursement is a normal thing, and accommodation, air tickets and daily expenses are not cheap. He lived in Geneva for three or four months and spent more than 100,000.
"I'm leaving first. You have to pay attention to safety, whether here or in Princeton."
Chen Zhengping patted Xu Chuan on the shoulder and left CERN with his luggage.
Domestic university research teams have returned to China one after another. On the seventh floor of the huge hotel, there are only two or three kittens left, and the rest of the rooms are empty.
For a while, Xu Chuan even felt a little uncomfortable, but he still had to stay here for a few more days.
One is waiting for the news that China will join CERN, and the other is waiting for the promised report to be carried out.
In the evening, he awaited a call from Chairman Gross.
The news is good and bad.
The bad news is that China’s application to become a member of CERN was ultimately rejected by the Council.
The good news is that the vote to apply for associate membership has been delayed. The voting at today's meeting has not started. CERN member representatives need to renegotiate and then vote again.
Although I don’t know if the previous exchange of words played any role, this is indeed good news for China.
Xu Chuan had never heard of China joining CERN in his previous life, whether as a member state, associate member state, or member state.
With the stupidity of people in Western countries, if you really want to join CERN, the price you have to pay will definitely far exceed the benefits you can get from CERN.
This is the naked reality. Many people only see the former and not the latter.
Therefore, Xu Chuan never expected to join CERN as a member state. This was indeed an unrealistic dream, or in other words, too much had to be paid.
Instead of sharpening your head and blending into other people's circles, you might as well build a large strong particle collider and play with it yourself.
Compared with member states that have almost no hope, associate member states and member states actually have hope.
Although compared to formal member states, associate members and member states do have fewer rights. For example, they do not have the voting rights of the Board of Directors and cannot participate in CERN's major development decisions.
However, associate member states and member states are also permanent at CERN, and they can carry out cooperation projects with CERN and participate in the purchase of technology and equipment produced by CERN. They can also apply for jobs at CERN and participate in its training and internship programs.
Compared with the voting rights of the board of directors and the development of major issues, supplementing some of the technologies that we lack from CERN, and using CERN to cultivate our own physics talents, this is what is really lacking in the country.
After staying at CERN for five days, I held a report meeting.
Xu Chuan also bought a ticket and flew back to Princeton from Switzerland.
This trip to CERN, after nearly four months, has finally come to an end.
The blue and white plane crossed the sky and slowly landed at the Philadelphia Airport. Xu Chuan dragged his luggage out of the airport against the red sunrise, preparing to hail a taxi on the roadside and return to Princeton.
But maybe it’s because it’s quieter in the morning? There weren't many taxis on the roadside, and the few taxis they stopped said they didn't want to leave the city and refused Xu Chuan's ride.
Just as Xu Chuan was thinking about whether to call the Chinese driver from last time or wait a little longer, a red car stopped in front of him.
"Hi, Junior Brother Chuan."
The car window was rolled down, and a familiar voice came over. Xu Chuan took a closer look and saw that it was Lin Feng. "Senior Brother Lin, why are you here?"
Seeing Lin Feng, Xu Chuan was a little surprised. Didn't this senior brother return to Princeton long ago? Why did this show up at the Philadelphia Airport?
"I'm here to pick up my girlfriend. Have you just come back from CERN? Are you going back to Princeton?" Lin Feng asked with a smile.
"Girlfriend? When did you have a girlfriend?"
Xu Chuan immediately asked curiously. It is human nature to eat melons. He had never heard of it before.
Hearing this, Lin Feng smiled sheepishly and said, "As for what happened in the last month or two, you actually know her too."
"I know him too?"
Xu Chuan was even more curious. Who was the person he also knew?
Lin Feng smiled and said mysteriously: "You will know later. Get in the car first, and I will take you back to save you from taking a taxi."
Xu Chuan nodded, stuffed his luggage into the trunk, and took the initiative to sit in the back.
After all, Lin Feng was here to pick up his girlfriend, so the passenger seat must be reserved. He still knew this common sense.
In the car, the two chatted for a while.
Suddenly, a figure knocked on the passenger door.
Xu Chuan looked out the car window curiously. The figure outside the window felt familiar to him.
"???"
When he saw the face of this figure clearly, a series of questions arose in Xu Chuan's heart.
"My, Nunnally Kessler?"
Seeing clearly who was coming, Xu Chuan was surprised and cursed. No wonder Lin Feng said that he knew him too.
I really knew this, but I didn’t expect it.
Nunnally Kessler, a member of the project team when he was working on the 'Proton Radius Puzzle' problem at CERN.
Among the five-person team that was put together temporarily at that time, apart from himself, the best one was Nunnally Kessler, and she was also the only girl.
At that time, she also discovered anomalies in the collision data, which indirectly gave him some inspiration and completely solved the mystery of the proton radius.
"Hi Xu, long time no see. Congratulations on discovering the Yukawa coupling phenomenon between Higgs and third-generation heavy quarks."
Nunnally Kessler looked very surprised when she saw Xu Chuan, and then greeted him enthusiastically.
"Thank you." Xu Chuan responded with a smile, and then asked: "When did you two get together?"
"More than a month ago, Lin was a very good person." Nunnally Kessler glanced at Lin Feng in the car with a hint of shame and replied.
"It's amazing, Senior Brother Lin. We've known each other for a month and we're already together."
Seeing Nunnally Kessler's shy look, Xu Chuan clicked his tongue twice and gave Lin Feng a thumbs up. It was enough to eat dog food after getting in the car.
Lin Feng smiled and said: "It's not bad, we are planning to get married next year."
"So fast?"
Xu Chuan glanced at Lin Feng in surprise. According to the fact that the two met in mid-August, by the beginning of next year, the time would only be half a year.
They got married within half a year of knowing each other. Although this speed cannot be called a flash marriage, it is indeed quite fast relatively speaking.
After all, they are from different countries. If they want to get married, they need to consider many things.
He had never been married in his previous life. On the one hand, he was focused on scientific research, and on the other hand, he was trapped in the United States and had not considered girls abroad.
Lin Feng nodded and replied: "Well, it's rare to meet a suitable person, and Kessler and I are not young anymore. I am thirty-one this year, and Kessler is twenty-nine. If we don't It’s really too late to get married.”
Hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled and said: "Congratulations to you, remember to treat me to a wedding banquet then."
Lin Feng said he was thirty-one, which was actually not an exaggeration at all.
It is normal for academics to get married late.
In China, you are almost 22 years old when you graduate from a university. It takes three years for a master's degree and three to five years for a doctoral degree. By the time you graduate with a doctoral degree, you are almost 30 years old.
According to relevant data, the average graduation age of domestic doctoral students is 33.17 years old.
Lin Feng is currently studying physics with Edward Witten and is already a postdoctoral fellow. His age is actually still young compared to his degree.
Normally, postdocs do in-depth research until they are around thirty-four or five years old.
Lin Feng smiled and nodded: "Of course, I will give you a big red envelope when the time comes. You are our matchmaker. Without you, we would not have known each other."
Chatting, the three of them headed towards Princeton. Along the way, Lin Feng and Nunnally Kessler were talking more, while Xu Chuan sat in the back and acted like a shining light bulb, eating dog food. grain.
"By the way, junior brother, aren't you going to get a driver's license and buy a car here? Cars here are still very cheap, and having a car will be a lot more convenient."
In the car, Lin Feng suddenly realized that there was someone behind the car and quickly asked caringly.
Xu Chuan: "I'll take the exam if I have time. There's no rush to buy a car. Anyway, I don't have much else to use the car for the time being."
"If you have a car, it will be much more convenient to go out for fun. Some of the scenery here is quite nice. I can recommend it to you. It is very suitable for taking your girlfriend."
Lin Feng replied casually, hitting Xu Chuan's heart with precision once again.
In the back seat, Xu Chuan's mouth twitched and he didn't want to talk to anyone anymore.
He has been over fifty-five years old in his two lifetimes. He has never even held a girl's hand, let alone a girlfriend.
girlfriend? Is it really that fun? Want to find one to try? Just who are you looking for?
Xu Chuan was thinking, and as soon as a figure appeared in his mind, his thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.
I took out my phone and saw that it was a call from an unfamiliar number starting with 0046.
"I'll take a call." Xu Chuan said to the two people in front of him and answered the phone.
"Hello, hello, is this Mr. Xu Chuan?"
On the other end of the phone, a strange male voice came along the phone. Xu Chuan nodded and responded, and the other person immediately followed up.
"Hello, Mr. Xu Chuan, this is the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Professor Anri Rodling from the Academic Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences."
(End of chapter)