以糾纏為“燃料”的量子引擎

陜西 呂 品

地球是人類共同的家園，但是隨著社會的發展，人類對地球資源的過度開發，災難性的后果將接踵而至。 本文主要介紹了一種新型的汽車動力系統，該系統可以減少燃料的消耗，可以保護地球的資源。 研究人員看好它的發展前景。

題材 體裁保護地球 說明文 334 ★★★文章詞數 難度建議用時7分鐘

In order to make a car run, its engine burns gasoline and converts the energy from the heat of the burning gasoline into mechanical work. In the process, however, energy is wasted. A typical car only turns around 25 percent of the energy in gasoline into useful energy to make it run.

In order to solve this problem, Andrew Jordan, a professor of physics at the University of Rochester, New York, was recently awarded a three-year, $1 million grant fund from the Templeton Foundation to research quantum (量子)measurement engines—engines that use the principles of quantum mechanics to run with 100 percent efficiency. The research, to be carried out with co-principal investigators in France and at Washington University St. Louis, could answer important questions about the laws of thermodynamics (熱力學) in quantum systems and contribute to technologies such as more efficient engines and quantum computers.

The team will also investigate another major area of research: how it might be possible to get work out of a system using entanglement (糾纏)as a fuel. In entanglement—one of the basic theories behind quantum physics—the properties of one particle are interlinked with properties of another, even when the particles are separated by a large distance. Using entanglement as a fuel has the possibly revolutionary feature of creating a non-local engine; half of an engine could be in New York, while the other half could be in California.The two halves can share the same energy resource to fuel both halves at the same time.

When asked about the investment prospects,Jordan said, “We will show that the engine can,in principle, be perfectly efficient. That is, there would be an ideal transfer of energy from the measurement equipment to the quantum system.The University of Rochester has an existing strength in quantum physics, and indeed was the birthplace of the field of quantum optics. We have a good collection of quality researchers in place, a historical legacy of quantum physics,and ongoing university support of quantum physics.”

Reading Check

1. What is the purpose of researching quantum measurement engines?

A. To prove the theory of quantum mechanics.

B. To lay the foundation for quantum computers.

C. To improve the efficiency of engines.

D. To extend the operating life of engines.

2. What is special about a non-local engine according to the text?

A. It can get power from two different resources.

B. It can be shared by two places at the same time.

C. It can be moved from one place to another.

D. It can reduce the fuel consumption by half.

3. What is Andrew Jordan's attitude toward the investment prospects of the project?

A. Optimistic. B. Objective.

C. Negative. D. Questioning.

4. Where can the text most probably be found?

A. A diary. B. A guidebook.

C. A novel. D. A magazine.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Text-centered vocabulary

convert v. 轉化

mechanical adj. 機械的；發動機的

engine n. 引擎；發動機

efficiency n. 效率；功效

investigator n. 調查者

legacy n. 遺產

Ⅱ. Sentence structure

Using entanglement as a fuel has the possibly revolutionary feature of creating a non-local engine； half of an engine could be in New York, while the other half could be in California. 使用（量子）糾纏作為燃料可能具有創造一臺“非本地引擎”的革命性特征：一臺引擎的一半可能在紐約，而另一半可能在加利福尼亞。

【點石成金】該句是一組并列的主從復合句。 分號前的句子中，動名詞短語Using entanglement...fuel作主語，分號后句子中的while作并列連詞，意為“然而”。