1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 629: Conference Contents Announced! The Academic Community is Shocked! Comparable to the Bru

Chapter 629: Conference Contents Announced! The Academic Community is Shocked! Comparable to the Bruce Conference! Is Astronomy the End of Physics?
Inside the lecture hall of Cambridge University.

As Ridgway walked down the stage, Hubble's speech officially ended.

However, the impact of the content of this speech has just begun.

Everyone can already imagine what a shock this conference will bring to the academic community!

Eddington presided over the meeting:

"The next one is here."

The meeting continues.

With Hubble's outstanding performance as a precedent, the subsequent presenters only shared mediocre results.

But the discussion became even more heated.

Because for many people present, both dark matter and dark energy are beyond their research scope.

Instead of aiming too high, it is better to keep your feet on the ground.

The four-day Second International Astronomical Union General Assembly concluded successfully.

Surrounded by the crowd, Li Qiwei took another picture of the big names in the field of astronomy.

Sitting in the C position, he seems to be exploring the mysteries of the universe with the children of the stars.

Before leaving, Ridgway had another conversation with Hubble, Eddington, Hale and others, expressing his vision for the future of astronomy.

“The radio telescope in Borneo, and then the space telescope, are only short-term goals.”

"In current astronomy, theoretical development has far surpassed actual observations."

"So I think we can slow down the theoretical aspects a bit and lay a solid material foundation first."

"Whether it's dark matter or dark energy, it's a bit too far away for current astronomy."

“That’s why I ended up saying less about dark energy, because it doesn’t make much sense for now.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

For astronomy, observing the starry sky is equivalent to doing experiments.

But the current situation is that all the theories proposed by Professor Bruce are beyond the scope of experiments.

Big Bang theory, multiverse, dark matter, dark energy
The very thought of verifying these theories is daunting.

Hai Er sighed:

"Bruce, you still see the future."

"Recently, many people have been so caught up in the frenzy of theories that they've almost forgotten that astronomy is an observational science."

"Pure astronomers like Professor Schwarzschild are becoming rare."

"When I return, I will definitely call on everyone to pay more attention to the accumulation of basic astronomical data."

“Only by accumulating a lot can one achieve a lot.”

Dyson smiled:

"Everyone must be confused by the prosperity of the physics community."

Everyone smiled knowingly.

Hubble said:

"Professor, do you mean that scholars from all countries should build more observatories and start digesting existing theories?"

Li Qiwei nodded and said:

"Yes."

"I think the astronomical theories learned in the past few years are enough to be digested for decades."

"When we have more powerful telescopes, they may help us solve many unsolved mysteries."

“I believe you have also felt that the closer you get to the forefront, the more inseparable astronomy and physics become.”

"Many astronomical problems are actually more like physics problems."

"Therefore, it is not a good thing for theories to run too fast."

Yes, if everyone is obsessed with theory, astronomy will be over.

Today you propose the theory of the cosmic ocean, and tomorrow he proposes the theory of the three thousand worlds.

Since it can't be falsified anyway, whatever you say makes sense.

No one wants to endure the boring days of looking into a telescope day after day.

But that is the true path of science, the door to truth.

Eddington, Yu Qingsong and others were full of admiration.

Professor Bruce has devoted all his energy to the healthy development of astronomy.

He stands at a higher perspective and grasps the development of the discipline.

His will is conveyed through the International Astronomical Union.

"Oh my god!"

"Could it be that Professor Bruce had already thought of this day before?"

In the end, Li Qiwei left Yu Qingsong alone.

He smiled and asked:

"Qingsong, after you finish your studies, are you planning to stay in the United States to continue your studies or return to China to develop your career?"

Yu Qingsong heard this and answered without hesitation:

"Professor, I choose to return home!"

"I have already discussed it with President Gao Lu. After I return, I will assist him in building China's own large observatory."

Yu Qingsong is also a passionate young man.

Although science has no borders, he can choose where to study science.

Is there anything more exciting than producing groundbreaking research results on the soil of our motherland?
Li Qiwei smiled and patted his shoulder, praising him:

"Good boy!"

Then he changed the subject and said:

"However, I plan to snatch the love from President Gao Lu."

"I want you to come to Borneo and help me build the world's largest observatory to house that 50-meter radio telescope."

"You will be more experienced when you return to China."

"The position of President Gao Lu will definitely be reserved for you in the future."

hiss!
Yu Qingsong looked excited and his blood was boiling.

He didn't even hear clearly what would grow or not.

All he knew was that he was in charge of that super telescope!
Although he had previously guessed that Professor Bruce might find him.

After all, in the field of astronomy in China today, there should be no one better than him.

But when it was really confirmed, Yu Qingsong still felt like he was dreaming.

His face flushed, and he stammered with excitement:

"Professor, is this true?"

"Am I dreaming."

"Can I really?"

Li Qiwei smiled and said:
"You studied orthodox astronomy with Professor Heil."

"In terms of basic knowledge, you are definitely much better than me."

"And Professor Hale himself is famous for building an observatory. I'm sure you must have learned a lot."

"This matter belongs to you alone!"

Wow!
Yu Qingsong suddenly felt the urge to die for his friend.

At this moment, he was no longer humble and was filled with unparalleled confidence.

"Professor, don't worry!"

"I will definitely complete the task you assign to me!"

Li Qiwei smiled and nodded.

He looked into the distance, his eyes deep and vast.
-
A few days later.

When the contents of the second Tianlian Association plenary meeting were announced.

The astronomical community is in an uproar!
Although everyone had high expectations beforehand, the shocking content of the meeting still exceeded everyone's imagination.

The detailed process of the Big Bang theory and evidence of inflation;
Large-scale structure, cosmic microwave background radiation;
Discovered black holes and neutron stars;

Missing galaxy mass, dark matter;

Supernova ranging method;

The accelerated expansion of the universe, dark energy.

Everyone was stunned with shock.

"Oh, God!"

“The second Tianlian Conference was as exciting as the Bruce Conference!”

“That’s awesome!”

Any one of these results or conjectures is enough to shock the entire astronomical community.

And now it all came pouring out in one meeting.

"The astronomical grand era is coming!"

Then, someone else sighed:
“How many Nobel Prizes will be awarded for this!”

The astronomical community has always been resentful of the Nobel Prize.

Because so far, no astronomer has ever won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Of course, Professor Bruce is definitely an exception.

The most popular figures now are Eddington, Hubble and Schwarzschild.

But winning the Nobel Prize is extremely difficult.

Recently, there are too many people queuing up in the physics community, especially in the field of quantum mechanics.

This is an extremely brutal scientific battle.

Soon, along with the content of the meeting, news spread that Professor Bruce was going to build a 50-meter ultra-large radio telescope in Borneo.

Even the idea of a space telescope spread like wildfire.

For a moment, the astronomical community was boiling again!
This incident is even more shocking than the content of the meeting!

It means changes to astronomy's holy land.

Before that, the Mount Wilson Observatory, which has a 2-meter telescope, was the holy place.

But now, compared with the giant in Borneo, it is like a firefly competing with the bright moon.

"Professor Bruce is so awesome!"

“This is the pattern of a super astronomy boss!”

"A 50-meter telescope? I think it can see the end of the universe."

“I can’t wait to visit.”

"It is said that the city of science there has now been fully built."

"."

Countless people talked about it.

China.

When Gao Lu learned all this news, he was so excited that tears filled his eyes.

"God bless China! God bless China!"

Due to special reasons, he did not attend the second meeting.

Yu Qingsong's performance undoubtedly far exceeded his expectations.

Chinese Tianxia literature has successors!
Colleagues around me all exclaimed with joy:

"Qingsong is really great!"

"When he returns, our astronomy will surely take off again!"

Gao Lu smiled slightly, and when he revealed that Yu Qingsong would be in charge of the affairs of Borneo, everyone was completely stunned.

"Oh my god!"

"What good things did Qingsong do in his previous life?"

"This is so lucky!"

Then, everyone laughed happily.

Because the better Borneo is, the better China is.

That man is coming back!
When the news reached the physics community, it also caused a sensation.

The special properties of dark matter and dark energy have aroused strong interest among physicists.

Especially the big names like Rutherford who studied the structure of matter were extremely delighted.

"Interesting, really interesting."

"Antimatter hasn't been found yet, and Professor Bruce has predicted dark matter."

“How many mysteries of matter are there?”

Some people even began to imagine what kind of microscopic structure could produce the effect of dark matter.

As for dark energy, even physicists are helpless.

Everything about it is so vague and all its properties are speculation.

Many people lamented:
"Except for Professor Bruce, I'm afraid no one in this world can truly understand dark energy."

As for adding the cosmological constant to the theory of relativity, it is not as shocking as one might imagine. After all, it is just a means for Professor Bruce to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe.

Crucially, adding the cosmological constant yields a solution for a steady-state Universe, but it also yields solutions for both expansion and contraction.

Therefore, it does not affect the original status of general relativity.

Even Einstein said:
“Adding the cosmological constant is a stroke of genius.”

"We solved the problem of accelerated expansion using only a simple method."

“I think what the cosmological constant represents is dark energy.”

Wow!
The bigwigs were shocked after hearing this and discussed Einstein's views.

After the Fourth Bruce Conference, the pace of theoretical physics finally slowed down.

And now, the field of astronomy has rekindled their passion.

But one thing that is annoying is that "these astronomy guys are becoming more and more arrogant."

Some even publicly declared:

“All the efforts of physicists are paving the way for solving the Big Bang theory.”

"The end of physics is astronomy!"

Suddenly, a fierce war of words broke out between the two sides.

"Our goal in physics is to explain everything in the universe, not just its origin."

【As long as we know the origin of the universe, everything else is nothing more than natural evolution. 】

"If you are so capable, then calculate how black holes move and evolve."

[We will know the answer once we understand the Big Bang theory.]

"."

For a time, many people participated in the debate.

Finally, a big shot wrote a summary:
“Physics and astronomy are like the inside and outside of the door of truth.”

"Physics starts from the outside of the door, studying the composition of the door, the structure of the door, the patterns on the door, and so on."

"We firmly believe that as long as we know all the properties of the door, we can easily open the door and see everything inside the door."

"Astronomy, especially the Big Bang theory, directly speculates on the scene inside the gate and re-examines the nature of the gate based on this speculation."

“There is no one who is better or worse.”

As soon as the article was published, it received widespread acclaim.

Everyone praised the author for his insightful thinking.

However, it wasn't long before another large group of people became dissatisfied.

"what does it mean?"

“Aren’t chemistry, biology, and medicine the truth?”

"Only your astronomy and physics are the truth?"

The two parties who were arguing before now share a common hatred for the enemy.

"I'm sorry, but you are not the truth, but the application of the truth."

“So, you can’t even see the door.”

Thus, a bigger scientific war began.

When Li Qiwei heard the quarrel, he smiled slightly.

"I will open this door myself."

However, he didn't have the time to join the discussion for the time being.

With the Tianlian meeting coming to an end, he only had one last big thing left to do in Europe.

That is to negotiate the development of Borneo!
Currently, the northern 1/3 of Borneo is a British colony, and the southern 2/3 is a Dutch colony.

The two countries only have some symbolic troops stationed on this land.

Their main method is to stir up conflicts between local indigenous people and Chinese, so as to profit from it and maintain their own country's interests.

Li Qiwei's negotiations with the Netherlands went relatively smoothly.

After World War I, the Netherlands at this time had already recognized its status as the Little Karami.

Its military strength is completely unable to take into account its vast overseas territories.

Ridgway promised more economic benefits and took a large area from the Dutch.

There is nothing we can do even if the Netherlands disagrees.

The former glory of the Dutch East India Company has long since vanished.

In the hands of the Dutch, the most they could do with these lands was grow rubber, sugarcane, etc.

But in Li Qiwei's hands, it was transformed into a magical place and became the base for various factories and laboratories.

All his overseas resources will be invested to focus on developing the required industrial system.

After the Netherlands, the next step is the UK.
-
1925 October.

Inside the Quantum Research Institute.

Today, Li Qiwei's office welcomed a special guest.

"Hello, Professor Bruce."

"I am Summers, Prime Minister Baldwin's special envoy in charge of Borneo affairs."

Summers looked to be in his forties, dressed in standard gentleman's attire with a slight smile on his face.

At his age, being able to become the Prime Minister's special envoy is definitely a promising future.

At this moment, he was also looking at the legendary scientist in front of him.

He had heard this famous name more than once.

After seeing him today, I realized that the rumors were true.

Although he studied law and could not understand those physical terms, he knew that the status of the big man in front of him was comparable to Newton.

"A dragon among men!"

Summers thought of such an apt Chinese word.

In particular, the cooperation plan submitted by the other party to Prime Minister Baldwin was simply unbelievable to him.

“Are there really people in the world who are so pure and crazy about science?”

Li Qiwei smiled and said:

"Hello, Envoy Summers."

"Nice to meet you."

If nothing unexpected happens, he will probably have to deal with this Special Envoy Summers frequently after returning to Borneo.

He felt deeply moved that during his more than 20 years in Europe, he had outlasted six or seven British prime ministers.

He also understands Baldwin today.

In real history, this prime minister would rule from now until 1929.

This is a moderate British leader, unlike some of his predecessors who favor extreme policies.

But precisely because of his moderation, he did not prepare for the worst situation, which led to Britain's lack of preparation in the early stages of World War II, and he was impeached.

In addition, Prime Minister Baldwin was the last British Prime Minister to be educated at Cambridge University.

Judging from this information, Li Qiwei felt that his negotiations should go smoothly.

Perhaps Baldwin's personality will allow him to develop safely in Borneo.

Summers took responsibility and, after the pleasantries, got right down to business.

He said:
"Professor, the Prime Minister has clearly rejected your proposal to buy the British colony in Borneo for $1 million."

"There is absolutely no way this matter will pass muster."

Summers was also shocked when he saw this.

In his opinion, Professor Bruce was truly a man of great imagination and power.

The most important thing is that there is too much money.

How many people in the world today can come up with $1 million at one time?

Just horrible.

However, the other party's idea is destined to be wishful thinking.

Not to mention that $1 million is not tempting at all for a big country like Britain.

There is no possibility of selling such a large piece of land in Borneo.

The UK only has nominal control, and various forces are entangled in it. How can it sell it whenever it wants?

This is completely different from the United States buying Alaska for $720 million.

Li Qiwei looked calm and not surprised when he heard this.

He himself knew the possibility was slim.

Britain did sell land.

For example, in 1958, Christmas Island was sold to Canada for £290 million.

In 1965, the Chagos Islands were sold for £300 million.

But these transactions are not simply monetary transactions, but involve many political and military factors.

Most importantly, Li Qiwei's identity is too sensitive.

Therefore, he proposed this deal only to show his attitude and to gain room for bargaining.

"Mr. Special Envoy, since your country does not agree to sell the land in Borneo."

"Then what do you think of my second plan?"

Summers said:
"The Prime Minister has shown great interest in leasing land for scientific research."

"He highly appreciates your foresight, professor, and believes that this is a great thing that will benefit science and humanity as a whole."

Li Qiwei kept smiling on his face, but he was complaining in his heart: You really treat us scientists as idiots.

Sure enough, Summers continued:

“But cooperation needs to follow several requirements:”

"First, the lease period is five years. Once the time is up, all agreements will be invalidated and need to be re-drafted."

"Secondly, the various products developed by your company need to be outside the British government's banned list, especially the development of various weapons."

“Third, the UK government has the right to retain all powers of censorship.”

"Of course, under normal circumstances, we will never infringe on the privacy of the company secrets of Science City and your company."

"fourth,"

Li Qiwei leaned back in his chair and listened quietly.

Summers listed more than a dozen demands in one breath.

There is no doubt that these demands are all based on British interests and aim to strictly control Ridgway's actions.

Li Qiwei knew what was going on.

The British have a clear plan, which is that the meat will rot in the British pot.

Professor Bruce, you are broad-minded, willing to contribute to science, and a pure person who is free from vulgar tastes. The UK strongly supports you.

They were even willing to send engineers to help build that large radio telescope.

But what if one day you, Professor Bruce, become infatuated with the worldly life, get tired of scientific research, and want to be a king for fun?

Sorry, that won’t work.

In short, Britain treated Ridgway as a scientific cash cow and mascot.

Planting rubber and spices cannot compare to growing Professor Bruce.

However, Baldwin, Summers and others could never have imagined that the true power of science would be revealed in the world!
After hearing the request, Ridgway began to bargain with Summers.

The two sides had a detailed discussion on issues such as rent, privacy scope, and cooperation mechanism.

They just need to set the tone, and the actual details will still need several rounds of discussion, but that is all the business of their subordinates.

At the end of the negotiation, Summers suddenly smiled and said:

"Professor Bruce, Prime Minister Baldwin asked me to make a suggestion to you on his behalf in a personal capacity."

Li Qiwei said:

"Please say."

Summers said:

"The Prime Minister wants you to stay in the UK and serve the British Empire."

“He will give you the credit you deserve.”

Li Qiwei smiled slightly, calmly and said:
"Thank the Prime Minister for his kindness for me."

"What kind of honor can I get as an ordinary person doing science?"

"I am old now and I still want to go home and spend my old age in peace."

Summers observed Li Qiwei with sharp eyes, thinking about something in his mind.

Then he smiled brightly and said mysteriously: