The Three-Body Problem

“Let’s focus on one thing first. The Trisolarans were able to shoot two protons at the Earth from four light-years away and they both reached the target! That accuracy is incredible! There are numerous obstacles between there and here: interstellar dust, for example. And both the solar system and the Earth are moving. It would require more precision than shooting a mosquito here from Pluto. The shooter is beyond imagination.”

Wang’s heart clenched when he heard “shooter.” “What do you think this means?”

“I don’t know. In your impression, what do subatomic particles such as neutrons and protons look like?”

“They would just look like a point. Though the point has internal structure.”

“Luckily, the image in my head is more realistic than yours.” As Ding spoke, he tossed his cigarette butt away. “What do you think that is?” He pointed at the butt.

“A cigarette filter.”

“Good. Looking at that tiny thing from this distance, how would you describe it?”

“It’s practically just a point.”

“Right.” Ding walked over and picked up the butt. In front of Wang’s eyes he tore it open and revealed the yellowed spongy material inside. Wang smelled burnt tar. Ding continued, “Look, if you spread this little thing open, the adsorbent surface area can be as large as a living room.” He tossed the filter away. “Do you smoke pipes?”

“I no longer smoke anything.”

“Pipes use another type of more advanced filter. You can get one for three yuan. The diameter is about the same as a cigarette filter, but it’s longer: a small paper tube filled with active charcoal. If you take out all the active charcoal, it will look like a little pile of black particles, like mouse droppings. But added together, the adsorbent surface formed by the tiny holes inside is as large as a tennis court. This is why active charcoal is so adsorbent.”

“What are you trying to say?” Wang asked, listening intently.

“The sponge or active charcoal inside a filter is three-dimensional. Their adsorbent surfaces, however, are two-dimensional. Thus, you can see how a tiny high-dimensional structure can contain a huge low-dimensional structure. But at the macroscopic level, this is about the limit of the ability for high-dimensional space to contain low-dimensional space. Because God was stingy, during the big bang He only provided the macroscopic world with three spatial dimensions, plus the dimension of time. But this doesn’t mean that higher dimensions don’t exist. Up to seven additional dimensions are locked within the micro scale, or, more precisely, within the quantum realm. And added to the four dimensions at the macro scale, fundamental particles exist within an eleven-dimensional space-time.”

“So what?”

“I just want to point out this fact: In the universe, an important mark of a civilization’s technological advancement is its ability to control and make use of micro dimensions. Making use of fundamental particles without taking advantage of the micro dimensions is something that our naked, hairy ancestors already began back when they lit bonfires within caves. Controlling chemical reactions is just manipulating micro particles without regard to the micro dimensions. Of course, this control also progressed from crude to advanced: from bonfires to steam engines, and then generators. Now, the ability for humans to manipulate micro particles at the macro level has reached a peak: We have computers and nanomaterials. But all of that is accomplished without unlocking the many micro dimensions. From the perspective of a more advanced civilization in the universe, bonfires and computers and nanomaterials are not fundamentally different. They all belong to the same level. That’s also why they still think of humans as mere bugs. Unfortunately, I think they’re right.”

“Can you be more specific? What does all this have to do with those two protons? Ultimately, what can the two protons that have reached the Earth do? Like the interrogator said, a single cilium on a bacterium can contain several billion protons. Even if these two protons turned entirely into energy on the tip of my finger, at most it would feel like a pinprick.”

“You wouldn’t feel anything. Even if they turned into energy on a bacterium, the bacterium probably wouldn’t feel anything.”

“Then what were you trying to say?”

“Nothing. I don’t know anything. What can a bug know?”

“But you’re a physicist among bugs. You know more than I do. At least you aren’t completely at a loss when faced with the knowledge of these protons. I beg you. Tell me. Otherwise I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“If I tell you more, you really won’t be able to sleep. Forget it. What’s the point of worrying? We should learn to be as philosophical as Wei Cheng and Shi Qiang. Just do the best within your responsibility. Let’s go drinking and then go back to sleep like good bugs.”

31

Operation Guzheng