"Tom Maddox - Gravity's Angel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Maddox Tom)

Events unrolled until we seemed to be in the middle of the densest particle
interactions this side of the Big Bang, and I almost forgot what we were there for,
because this stuff was the product of my work, showing that, as promised, we
would, give the experimenters higher beam luminosity than theyтАЩd dreamed of
having.

Then the numbers of collisions lessened, and that was the first time I believed
she was on to something. Things were going backward. The beam continued to pour
in its streams of particles, but all usual interactions had ceased: inside the beam
pipes, one utterly anomalous point was absorbing all that came its way. We both sat
in complete silence, watching the impossible. The screen cleared. then said:

END SIMULATION
Quantitative evaluation appears impossible
employing standard assumptions. The conclu-sions
stated do not permit unambiguous physical
interpretation .
interpretation.

We lay outside in reclining chairs and watched the sky. The moon was down,
and stars glittered gold against the black. Meteors cut across the horizon, particles
flashing through the universeтАЩs spark chamber. WeтАЩd been drinking wine, and we
were both a little highтАФthe wine, sure, both of us drinking on empty stomachs, but
more than that, the sense of discovery she had communicated to me.

тАЬFinding the order behind the visible,тАЭ she said. тАЬIтАЩve wanted to be part of
that for as long as I can remember. And at Los Alamos IтАЩve gotten a taste. They
offered me a job two years ago, and the offer just caught me at the right time. I had
done some work I was proud of, but it was frustratingтАФitтАЩs easy for a woman to
become a permanent post-doc. And to make things worse, IтАЩd always worked in my
husbandтАЩs shadow.тАЭ

тАЬHeтАЩs a physicist?тАЭ

тАЬYes. At Stanford, at SLAC. WeтАЩve been separated since I took the job. The
two things, the job and the split-up, sort of came as a package.тАЭ She stopped, and
the only sound was the faint roar of cars down the Interstate nearby. She said, тАЬTell
me what happens tomorrow.тАЭ

тАЬThat depends on DiehlтАЩs reaction. IтАЩll see him in the morning. First IтАЩll ask to
borrow our resident imaging expert. That is, if I can pry him loose. IтАЩm figuring
Diehl wonтАЩt want to look at any of this stuff; he might want a report on it, if I can
talk to him just right. After that, weтАЩll see.тАЭ

тАЬOkay,тАЭ she said. тАЬLook, IтАЩm really tired ..тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm sorry. I should have said something.тАЭ I started to get up, but she said,
тАЬNo, IтАЩm fine. IтАЩll see you in the morning.тАЭ She waved goodnight and headed into
the house; IтАЩd shown her the guest room earlier and folded out the couch for her.