Chapter 147 Neither You nor I Are as Good as Him

Following Professor Deligne, the two walked through the campus of Princeton. Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study are close together and can be reached by foot.

After crossing the campus, the two came to Edward Witten's office.

Deligne knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for a response.

In the office, Witten, who was wearing a striped shirt, turned his head and saw that it was Deligne, and asked the research assistant in the office to make some coffee.

"Why are you here?" Edward Witten asked curiously after taking a sip of coffee.

Although he and Deligne are good friends and professors at the Institute for Advanced Study, they don't have many opportunities to get together and communicate.

On the one hand, his research center is physics, and on the other hand, he has been traveling around the European Atomic Energy Laboratory for many years, and his work site is not here in Princeton.

Deligne took a sip of coffee and then explained his purpose lightly.

"So that's it." Edward Witten nodded and suddenly understood.

However, he directly declined Professor Deligne's request and refused to accept Xu Chuan as a student.

"It's not necessary to be his mentor. If he is interested in physics, I welcome him to come and communicate at any time. I will teach him as my own student."

Neither Deligne nor Xu Chuan was surprised by Witten's refusal.

Witten is a true child of destiny, the father of contemporary string theory, and is hailed as the successor of Einstein by the physics community.

Such a person's ambition is naturally beyond imagination. When Xu Chuan has become Professor Deligne's student, he will definitely not accept him as a student again.

Fortunately, Xu Chuan was well prepared. He knew his mentor in his previous life very well. The manuscript materials he handed to Professor Deligne before were the stepping stone.

On the side, Professor Deligne was not moved after hearing Witten's refusal, and handed over the manuscript in his hand.

"Don't rush to refuse, Witten, you should take a look at this first."

Edward Witten did not take the manuscript immediately, but looked at Professor Deligne in confusion.

Deligne glanced at Witten and said calmly: "These are some of Xu Chuan's research in physics. Although I don't understand physics, the mathematical methods on it are quite exquisite. Maybe you should take a look."

"If you and I are both geniuses, he is a monster. His talent in mathematics and physics is beyond your imagination. If we only talk about talent, neither of us can compare with him."

"The history of modern mathematical physics has developed for hundreds of years, and I can find very few people who are comparable to him in talent."

"Perhaps, you can give him the hope of string theory and M theory."

Hearing this, Edward Witten was somewhat moved and couldn't help looking at Xu Chuan. He knew Professor Deligne's character very well. This is an extremely demanding person. In his field, it can be said that he can't tolerate a grain of sand.

It is unique to be able to give such a high evaluation to the young man in front of him, and even to say that string theory and M theory will be handed over to him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took the stack of manuscripts from Professor Deligne's hands and lowered his head to read them.

"The Mystery of the Proton Radius, a Mathematical Method for Accurately Calculating the Proton Radius"

Seeing the title on the manuscript, Witten was slightly stunned. As a professor in the field of theoretical physics and high-energy physics, he knew very well what the mystery of the proton radius was.

It's just that this problem is not within the scope of his research, and he is not very interested in this kind of basic work, but this does not deny the value of solving the mystery of the proton radius.

The proton is the basis of the atomic nucleus. It is composed of three charged quarks and is bound together by a strong nuclear force.

But its boundary is fuzzy, like a cloud.

The physics community relies on charge density to do this, similar to the density of water molecules in a cloud; and the proton radius is the distance from the boundary to the core where the charge density drops below a certain energy threshold. The proton radius can be measured by studying the interaction between electrons and protons and electron scattering experiments, or by using electron or meson spectroscopy to observe the differences between atomic energy levels.

If the proton radius cannot be accurately calculated, it is no exaggeration to say that the foundation of particle physics has collapsed by half.

Although he had some doubts about the things on the manuscript, Edward Witten still patiently continued to read on.

Regardless of whether the things on the manuscript are correct or not, even if they are completely wrong, something can be seen from them.

At least, whether the boy in front of him is really worthy of the evaluation of his friend Deligne can be seen from it.

In the office, Witten stood there with the manuscript paper, and the light flowed in his brown-green eyes.

One minute...

Two minutes...

Five minutes...

Professor Witten stood there motionless for more than ten minutes, but the manuscript paper in his hand only opened the cover of the first page.

Seeing Witten in this state, Professor Deligne raised an arc at the corner of his mouth, did not disturb him, found a seat and sat down, blowing the coffee foam in the ceramic cup.

As for Xu Chuan, he looked at the layout of Witten's office with a calm face.

He was fully confident about the calculation of the mystery of the proton radius.

Because in the future, the proton radius is not a mystery, but a value that has been accurately measured.

He knows the method of measuring the proton radius very well, but what he is doing now is not to steal other people's future achievements, but to start from mathematics and use mathematics to analyze this mystery, not to use particle colliders to confirm like physicists.

Of course, the support of particle collider collision data is indispensable. No matter how perfect the theory is, it also needs practical support.

Just like Professor Witten, his theoretical breakthroughs and achievements in string theory and M theory are unmatched. If he can be confirmed, he will usher in a new era and take over the fate of the physics world from Einstein's theory of relativity.

But unfortunately, even in his previous life, before he was reborn, Witten and the physics world still did not find the supersymmetric particles that support string theory and M theory.

And without the support of supersymmetric particles as a theoretical basis, Witten has never been able to win the Nobel Prize in Physics.

As the most famous award in the world, the Nobel Prize is more inclined to physicists who have made practical achievements. There are too many theories in the physics world.

If the Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to a theory that has not been fully confirmed, if this theory is falsified in the future, then the glory of the Nobel Prize will suffer a major blow.

Even Einstein wrote in his telegram from the Swedish Academy of Sciences:

"The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences decided to award you the Nobel Prize in Physics last year, considering your work on theoretical physics, especially the law of the photoelectric effect, but not considering the value of your theory of relativity and gravity after they are confirmed in the future."

And Einstein won the vacant Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, and the official award words were:

"for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".

"In recognition of his contributions to theoretical physics, especially his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect."

Of course, although Einstein's award was mainly for the law of the photoelectric effect, the Nobel Prize Committee also expressed respect for the theory of relativity.

PS: I feel like I may have a cold again, MMP

This morning, the convenience store downstairs opened, and the boss was out. I went to her to buy something in the morning, and I started to have chills, body coldness, itchy throat and other symptoms at noon.

There is a sentence MMP that must be said.

I hope it's just a cold this time, damn~ta~big~uncle.