2011年诺贝尔物理学奖揭晓：宇宙或将终结于冰川_BEC初级作文

2011年诺贝尔物理学奖揭晓：宇宙或将终结于冰川

1998年，两只研究小队所展示的成果让宇宙学的根基发生了动摇。其中一支队伍由萨尔·波尔马特领衔，从1988年开始研究工作；另一支由布莱恩·施密特领衔，从1994年年底开始工作，亚当·里斯在其中扮演了重要角色。

The research teams raced to map the Universe by locating the most distant supernovae. More sophisticated telescopes on the ground and in space, as well as more powerful computers and new digital imaging sensors (CCD, Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009), opened the possibility in the 1990s to add more pieces to the cosmological puzzle.

研究队伍用定位距离地球最远的超新星的办法来绘制宇宙地图。到了20世纪90年代，更精密的陆地和太空望眼镜装置、更强大的计算机系统以及全新的数字成像传感器（CCD, 2009年获得了诺贝尔物理学奖），为人类拼制宇宙这副拼图提供了可能性。

The teams used a particular kind of supernova, called type Ia supernova. It is an explosion of an old compact star that is as heavy as the Sun but as small as the Earth. A single such supernova can emit as much light as a whole galaxy. All in all, the two research teams found over 50 distant supernovae whose light was weaker than expected - this was a sign that the expansion of the Universe was accelerating. The potential pitfalls had been numerous, and the scientists found reassurance in the fact that both groups had reached the same astonishing conclusion.