"Burstein, Michael A - Broken Symmetry" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burstein Michael A)

7. Spin Up
"That's even more preposterous than your original theory," Ray said. He and
Kristin were eating lunch in the cafeteria. The mood around them was somber, and
yet people were still joking here and there.
Kristin nodded. "I don't care. We've got less than a month before they close us
down forever. I think I have a right to request these runs."
"What possible good could it do?"
"What possible harm?"
"Look, Kristin, I'm busy with a lot of other things. There's paperwork to do,
there are reporters to talk to --"
"Why won't you let me try this experiment?"
Ray put down his sandwich and looked straight at his former student. "Because
the truth is, I don't believe you, Kristin. I've been humoring you about this
alternate universe stuff. And we've got more important things to do in the final
few days of the SSC than test your theory!"
A few people's heads turned at the sound of Ray's voice, but then they quickly
went back to their own conversations. Ray's shouting stung Kristin, but not
nearly as much as his words did. It took her a moment to find her voice, and
when she did, she spoke softly. "You -- you don't believe me?"
Ray sighed. "I'm sorry for shouting. Look, Kristin, it's not that I don't think
you're doing excellent science. And I wasn't about to kick you off the program
because of your strange ideas. I had a friend once who had some very weird ideas
on Grand Unified Field Theory, but he did top-notch science otherwise, so --
It's just that we don't have time."
Finding her courage, Kristin said, "Let me run it by you one more time, Ray."
Ray turned around to look at the clock on the wall behind him, then looked back
at Kristin. "OK, one more time."
She took a deep breath. "Fine. Let's assume, for the moment, that I'm wrong,
that I'm talking through my hat. Then you have two choices, either do the runs I
suggest or do what's scheduled. If you do my experiment, then yes, I admit, we
lose out on whatever data we would have had otherwise. You'd be playing it safe,
assuming that the data we'd be getting in these last few weeks would have any
value at all.
"But now let's assume that I'm right. Let's assume that there is another
universe, and that our current data does indicate feedback from there along an
Einstein-Rosen bridge. In that case, whoever is in that other universe has been
affecting the beams by taking data. Which can only mean one thing.
"They're doing the experiments that we're supposed to be doing."
"So why do you want to signal them?"
"Well, for one thing, it would be nice to let them know that their days of doing
science on the cheap are over, wouldn't it?"
Ray shook his head. "I still don't see the point."
"It's obvious, Ray! If we can get a message through to them, they can get one
through to us. If they've gotten good results, they can share them with us! We
can present those results to Reichen and maybe, just maybe, Congress won't shut
us down!"
"But if you're wrong, then it would be a complete waste of time."
"It's Pascal's wager," Kristin said suddenly.
"What?"