粒子加速器的四次革命——从核嬗变到希格斯粒子的发现

The Four Revolutions of Particle Accelerators:From Nuclear Transmutation to the Discovery of the Higgs Boson

20世纪30年代第一台带电粒子加速器的问世,叩开了人类探索微观粒子世界的大门。随着粒子加速器的迭代以及相应科学技术的突破,使其逐步成为现代物理学研究的重要前沿之一。粒子加速器作为“多种科学技术”的综合产物,其本质是一种人类探测微观世界的有利工具,它的出现不仅推动了基础研究的发展,而且成为了20世纪人类文明最重要的发明之一。在此背景下,本文将从科学技术史的研究视角出发,清晰界定和详细阐述粒子加速器发展历程中的四次“重大突破”,进而在时间上明确划分出粒子加速器在科学技术史中的四个重要时期的“科学革命”,期望以此阐述学术界关于粒子加速器在当代科学发展史中的留白。

The emergence of the first charged particle accelerator in the 1930s marked the commencement of humanity's exploration into the world of microscopic particles.With successive iterations of particle accelerators and corresponding breakthroughs in science and technology,it has gradually evolved into a significant frontier in modern physics research.As a comprehensive outcome of “multiple science and technology”,the particle accelerator fundamentally serves as a valuable tool for humans to probe the microscopic realm.Its introduction not only propels the advancement of basic research but also stands as one of the most pivotal inventions of 20thcentury human civilization.Against this backdrop,this paper,from the perspective of the history of science and technology,distinctly defines and expounds upon the four “major breakthroughs” in the development of particle accelerators.Subsequently,it meticulously delineates the timeline of particle accelerators in the history of science and technology,identifying four crucial periods of “scientific revolution”.This elucidation aims to highlight the academic gaps pertaining to particle accelerators in the history of contemporary scientific development.