String theory is a popular shot at bringing together two disparate scales - the tiny world of quantum particles, where the standard model holds sway, and the cosmic distances over which gravity acts. It holds that particles such electrons and quarks are really strings of energy a mere 10-35 metres long vibrating in different ways.

弦理论是一种流行的两个不同的尺度的交汇——极小的量子世界，由标准模型支配着；和宇宙学的距离，由引力主导。它认为，粒子如电子和夸克其实是只有10^-35米长的弦的振动的不同方式。

If such predictions are at all correct, some interesting things might turn up at the LHC. Miniature black holes are one notorious possibility. Stringballs are another. These are made when two strings slam into one another and, rather than combining to form a stretched string, make a tangled ball.

如果这种预测是正确的，一些有趣的事情可能会在大型强子对撞机发生。微型黑洞是一个臭名昭著的可能。Stringballs则是另一个，两个弦猛撞时，不是结合成一个被拉长的弦，而是形成一个纠缠的球。

Energy is in plentiful supply at the LHC, so stringballs could show up there in large quantities. That would be a revolutionary event, says Savas Dimopoulos of Stanford University in California, one of the originators of the stringball concept. That's not least because string theory goes hand-in-hand with the idea that there are extra dimensions of space in addition to the three we know about. "Finding an extra dimension would be more exciting than discovering a new continent," says Dimopoulos.

能量足够高，所以在大型强子对撞机弦球可以大量产生。"这将是一个革命性的事件"，加州斯坦福大学的Savas Dimopoulos说，他是弦球概念的创始人之一。这个原因不是最少的，因为弦论始终伴随着有空间的额外维度的想法。 "发现一个额外的维度的令人兴奋的程度将超过发现新大陆"，Dimopoulos说。

So far, none has made its presence felt. But it is still early days for the particle smasher. "Theorists are good at predicting phenomena," shrugs Dimopoulos. "They just can't tell you where."

到目前为止，还没有发现它的存在。但目前仍然是加速器运行的初期阶段。"理论物理学家善于预测现象"，Dimopoulos耸耸肩，"他们只是不能告诉你在哪里。"

• energy [´enədʒi]   n.活力，精力；能力   (初中英语单词)
• possibility [,pɔsə´biliti]   n.可能(性)；希望；前途   (初中英语单词)
• california [,kæli´fɔ:njə]   n.加利福尼亚   (初中英语单词)
• concept [´kɔnsept]   n.概念；观念；思想   (初中英语单词)
• addition [ə´diʃən]   n.加；加法；附加物   (初中英语单词)
• gravity [´græviti]   n.严肃；严重；重力   (高中英语单词)
• miniature [´miniətʃə]   n.缩样 a.雏型的   (高中英语单词)
• plentiful [´plentifəl]   a.丰富的；多的   (高中英语单词)
• revolutionary [,revə´lu:ʃənəri]   a.革命的 n.革命者   (高中英语单词)
• dimension [di´menʃən]   n.尺寸；面积；体积   (高中英语单词)
• particle [´pɑ:tikl]   n.微粒；极小量   (高中英语单词)
• notorious [nəu´tɔ:riəs]   a.臭名昭著的   (英语四级单词)