Chapter 3 Chapter two

On May 9, 1999, NATO attacked my embassy in South Africa in the early morning of the second day. After a sleepless night, I couldn't help but come again to the former residence of Wang Ganchang, who had visited 30 years ago, to cherish the memory of the master in my heart.When I silently bowed to the farmhouse where Wang Ganchang was born, the villagers in Fengtang Bay gathered around, and they were all talking about one topic: NATO is deceiving people too much. If Wang Ganchang is alive, he will build a few more powerful weapons and see if he dares to violate it. The dignity of our China!The Chinese who missed the Nobel Prize three times On May 28, 1907, Wang Ganchang was born in Fengtangwan Village, Zhitang Town, Changshu Water Town, Jiangsu Province.His father is a well-known "Langzhong" (Chinese medicine doctor) in the local area.Both of Wang Ganchang's parents passed away when he was 13 years old, and he was mainly raised by his eldest brother and maternal grandmother.When Wang Ganchang was a child, he attended two famous schools. The primary school was in Shaxi School in Taicang, which was a very enlightened school.The May 4th Movement swept across the country, and the small town of Shaxi also held a parade for the first time. More than 70 years later, Wang Ganchang is still very excited when talking about this past event with his family: "That was the first time I took part in a parade on the street. Although I was very young at the time, I felt that it was an honor to contribute to the prosperity of the country. What is the dignity of the country has been deeply rooted in my heart since then." However, the feudal rural customs made Wang Ganchang bear the burden of arranged marriage prematurely.Under the arrangement of his family, 14-year-old Wang Ganchang, who had just graduated from elementary school, married a daughter-in-law who was three years older than him during the summer vacation.At that time, he didn't know what family and marriage were, and he seemed very happy to have a woman who was both a daughter-in-law and an older sister helping him do this and that.After working as the "groom's official" for more than a month, Wang Ganchang was taken to Shanghai Pudong by his cousin and entered Pudong Middle School.This was the first time Wang Ganchang went from the countryside to the "Ten Mile Foreign Farm", and it was an important turning point in his life.The first principal of Pudong Middle School was Mr. Huang Yanpei, a pioneer of modern education in China. At that time, there was a saying in China that "the south of Pudong is east, the north is open to the south".Under the cultivation of Mr. Huang Yanpei, almost 100% of the graduates of the school were admitted to famous universities, such as the revolutionary Wen Yiduo, the scientist Qian Changzhao, the educator Xia Jianbai, the historian Fan Wenlan, the writer Hu Yepin, and Jiang Jingguo and Jiang Weiguo, etc. Many celebrities.The rigorous style of study made Wang Ganchang develop a strong interest in mathematics. In 1925, he was admitted to Tsinghua University.When this promising 18-year-old student excitedly took the admission letter to announce the good news to his family, his "sister" brought a baby and said to him, "Look, how beautiful our daughter is. "Wang Ganchang's face turned red to the base of his neck, and he hid far away at a loss...

What is worth rewriting is that in the following 70 years, Wang Ganchang has grown from a country student to a world-renowned great scientist, and his wife has always been the married wife Wu Yueqin who is three years older than him. The great scientist had three daughters and two sons with her. When the children were born one after another, they were almost all when Wang Ganchang was studying in university or studying abroad.Wang Ganchang has been engaged in scientific careers and shouldered special missions for the country all his life, and he has never taken care of family affairs for a day.It was this poorly educated wife who brought up her three daughters and two sons, and let the children go to college one by one, and became scientific and technological workers, people's teachers and state cadres.When I was a guest at Wang Ganchang's home, when I saw for the first time that this old couple with different identities had been able to unite in harmony and love for nearly 80 years, I couldn't help feeling a deep respect in my heart. The 94-year-old old lady Wu Yueqin is still in good health, she speaks and walks briskly, and she is not slow at all. Her family told me that the old lady still insists on rushing to the kitchen to cook for the "old man". Live in amazement...

Wang Ganchang graduated from the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University in 1929. He was the first student of the Department of Physics of Tsinghua University. There were only 4 students in the class including him.Three of the four later achieved great success.Wang Ganchang became the first physics graduate of Tsinghua University, establishing his position as the first generation of physicists in China.At that time, it was Ye Qisun and Wu Youxun, the pioneers of Chinese physics, who guided him on the road of physics.When he first entered Tsinghua University, Wang Ganchang was very interested in chemistry classes. After listening to Mr. Ye Qisun's physics class, he decided to dedicate his life to the cause of physical science. On March 8, 1926, Wang Ganchang experienced an unforgettable test of life and death.On that day, the Student Union of Tsinghua University held a meeting to denounce the absurd act of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries issuing an ultimatum to the Chinese government under the pretext of the so-called "Taku Incident".Later, the rally turned into a parade, and students from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Normal University, and Women's Normal University all joined the parade.As the parade marched towards the square in front of Duan Qirui's government in Iron Lion Alley, heavily armed military police suddenly shot at the students.Wang Ganchang, who was walking in front of the parade, saw a classmate beside him lying in a pool of blood. When he looked up in surprise, he saw two students from the Women's Normal University also fell down with a scream... Wang Ganchang was caught by the chaotic crowd It was only when I squeezed to the corner of the wall that I was able to avoid a difficult situation.This is the "March 18" tragedy that shocked China and the world. At that time, 47 people died and more than 150 people were injured. A classmate of Wang Ganchang also died in this tragedy.

That night, Wang Ganchang came to Professor Ye Qisun's house and told about the tragic scene during the day.After hearing this, Ye Qisun was filled with righteous indignation: "Science, only science can save our suffering nation!" Decades later, Wang Ganchang recalled the scene back then, and said with a very serious expression: "Mr. In my heart, it can be said that from that moment I made up my mind to take the road of saving the country through science. For decades, no matter where I go, I will never forget to realize the wish of 'the motherland needs to be stronger', and I am willing to fight for it." If What Ye Qisun said when he was sad and angry made Wang Ganchang set up a lifelong goal, and another professor Wu Youxun inspired Wang Ganchang to take solid steps on the road of science with his rigorous academic attitude and unremitting pursuit of science.It can be said that without Professor Wu Youxun, China's modern physical science would be behind for many years.

The famous founder of Chinese physics studied the X-ray scattering spectrum effect with his mentor Compton when he was studying in the United States in his early years. Later, his mentor won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927, and a large part of the credit came from Wu Youxun Because Compton's research on X-ray scattering spectrum was attacked by Duane, another famous X-ray expert, it was Wu Youxun who proved the universality of his mentor's research and refuted Duane's theory with experiments. Wrong, so some people in the world call the X-ray scattering effect of Compton's Nobel Prize "Compton-Wu effect".In his later years, Wang Ganchang compared his mentor like this: "China could have the world of the atomic bomb later. If Mr. Wu Youxun hadn't taught us to start the experimental hard work from screwing the screws, then we, the scientists who undertake the national nuclear test, at least It may be ten or eight years later that China’s atomic bomb will be sent to the sky.”

When Mr. Wang Ganchang talked to me about the successful explosion of China’s atomic bomb, he said with emotion: “Any discovery in physical science or any kind of nuclear test conducted through physical phenomena does not have hundreds of thousands or even tens of thousands of experiments. !” Wang Ganchang’s authority in the physics world is precisely the experimental ability he learned from Mr. Wu Youxun, and his dedication and ingenuity in scientific experiments are even highly praised by Wu Youxun. In the summer of 1929, Wang Ganchang graduated from Tsinghua University. Wu Youxun invited him to stay in the school as a teaching assistant, and gave him an independent experimental task: measuring the intensity of radon gas around Tsinghua Park and its daily changes.This kind of measurement was done by German physicists in the early 1920s, but no one in China paid attention to it before Wang Ganchang started this experiment.In half a year, Wang Ganchang completed the experiment in strict accordance with Mr. Wu Youxun's requirements, using the simplest equipment, and wrote the first scientific paper on the study of physical radioactivity in the atmosphere in the history of the Beiping area (in fact, it is also the same in China. first).Wu Youxun was very satisfied with his results, and personally translated the paper into English, and published it in the first issue of Tsinghua University's Proceedings under the title "Radioactivity in the Atmosphere and Beiping Weather". In 1930, under the care of Ye Qisun and Wu Youxun, Wang Ganchang was admitted to Jiangsu Province as a postgraduate student, and was sent to the University of Berlin in Germany...

"Ganchang, come and hug your daughter!" Before leaving, Wang Ganchang returned to his hometown in Changshu. As soon as he entered the door, his elder brother happily took out the infant baby and stuffed it in his arms.Wang Ganchang took a look and was shocked: "Why is it a boy?" "Of course it's a boy! Or, our family must let you come back to see it?!" The elder brother smiled at the bookish Wang Ganchang. "I have an extra son?!" He threw the schoolbag on his shoulders and turned around in circles with the newborn baby in his arms. 24 years old, in fact, he himself is still a childish person.What’s interesting is that when he returned home during his first summer vacation at Tsinghua University, when he heard that he had a daughter, he blushed every day and dared not look at his family. The family asked him to name his daughter, and he even avoided it. In the end, it was the eldest brother Circus who named the niece.It is no wonder that Wang Ganchang was only 18 years old at the time.

In the autumn of 1930, a young Chinese man in his prime and talent was welcomed in the charming Berlin. When Wang Ganchang set foot on this beautiful land of Europe, he had a strong impulse from the depths of his heart.Because at this time is the golden age of physical science in the world centered on Germany.A group of top scientists such as Einstein, Marie Curie, Heitler, Geiger, and Meitner successively discovered great scientific achievements that influenced the entire human politics, military affairs and economy in the later decades of the 20th century. The discovery of radium, uranium The refinement of the theory and the proposal of the theory of relativity make every scientist's blood burn.The annual Nobel Prize is too late to choose the earth-shattering achievements discovered by the scientists of the year.

After the First World War, European and American industrial powers began to pay attention to the scientific and technological revolution out of their own interests, and closely linked the advancement of the technological revolution with their own social development.As a result, a large amount of national capital has been invested in scientific research, which has made the relatively active physics research in Europe and the United States appear "in full swing".When Mrs. Curie discovered the radium element, people soon discovered the medical effect of rays, so X-rays were widely used and it is still an important means to understand and overcome diseases today.With the creation of artificial radioactive elements, labeled atoms were soon created to study the distribution of phosphorus in plant foliage, and a fertilizer revolution took place.The most striking example is the use of atomic energy. In 1938, physicists just discovered that neutrons can cause uranium nuclear fission. In less than 4 years, the first reactor was built, and it took the Americans less than 7 years to create the first atomic bomb, making the United States China's international status and national strength suddenly increased, and it was unstoppable.

Scientists are crazy about the cause they love, while politicians use the scientific research results of scientists to become tyrants.Wang Ganchang had already felt this when he was studying abroad at the University of Berlin in the early 1930s, so it determined that he would devote his entire life to the practice of scientifically strengthening the country of his own nation. During his long life, Wang Ganchang completed several scientific researches that influenced Chinese society and even the international society. But when he was 90 years old, he talked to me, a layman who was half a century younger than him, and said that he regretted the most in his life. The thing is that I didn’t insist on an important experimental activity when I was young: “If I persisted that time, don’t say that I, Wang Ganchang, will definitely not be the Wang Ganchang today, and China’s weight in the international community may be very different!” He used self-deprecation that day I said this in a tone of voice, but later when I learned the truth, I really believed that this is indeed a very regrettable event that every Chinese should keep in mind-after Wang Ganchang went to Berlin University, there was an outstanding Mentor - Meitner, a famous female physicist and the first female professor at the University of Berlin.Meitner's personal ability cannot be ignored. Even Einstein commented on her as "'our Madame Curie' whose talent is higher than that of Madame Curie."Wang Ganchang is her only Chinese student.Wang Ganchang will never forget the days when he was a graduate student under Maitner. The female supervisor's superhuman ability in scientific research made him poke his head out of the well to see the world.

Wang Ganchang heard twice about the experiment of German physicist Bott and his student Baker bombarding light elements boron and beryllium with polonium particles, and found that a kind of ray with strong penetrating ability was emitted, which can penetrate 10 cm thick However, the strength of the lead plate itself weakened very little, and Bott and his students thought it might be a kind of electromagnetic wave with extremely short wavelength——R-ray.Since the discovery of protons, scientists have started to analyze the composition of protons, so Bott and his new discoveries immediately attracted the follow-up research of many scientists, including the Curie couple, who also started experiments to strive for new discoveries.The Curie couple used their powerful ray source to study the strange ray first discovered by Bott. The famous physicist couple used an ionization chamber to measure the intensity of the ray, with paraffin as a shielding layer, placed between the beryllium source and the measuring device During the observation, it was found that the number of the calculator increased greatly.But it is a pity that the Curies did not consider that the physical phenomenon of this ray contains a new special substance from another angle. They simply thought that the phenomenon of the extremely high R radiation energy was just the ray effect of R, and only wrote their own experimental results. A simple report was published and it was over.However, when the Curies put a major discovery on the shelf, the young Meitner's assistant, Wang Ganchang of China, paid special attention to the mysterious ray and the unknown result that they could not explain clearly. ... "Dear Professor Meitner, I know that you conducted experimental research on the relationship between R radiation and the decay of elements as early as 1922, and also made a series of studies on its properties. Recently I heard Professor Kosters talk about the relationship between Bo Mr. Te's introduction about the penetrating power of R radiation is so powerful, I doubt very much..." "Hmm! What doubts? I'm listening. Tell me, King Mist." Maite turned his head inwardly and continued with her experiment. Wang Ganchang boldly stated to his instructor: "I thought that the experiment used ionization detectors, so there would be no miracles. If we use cloud chambers as detectors and repeat the experiment of Professor Bott, the result may be It's quite different. That's what I think, my dear Professor Meitner." Meitner put down the experiment, thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Impossible, this will be a futile experiment forever, let's change the subject, King Mister." Wang Ganchang knew that Maitner was recognized as a scientist who would not easily let go of any possible phenomenon of scientific value, so why was he not interested in the questions he raised?He decided that Bott's experiment was bad because of the counting of the calculator. If the cloud chamber was used for the experiment, the result would be different. "Dear Professor Meitner, I still think that the cloud chamber may solve the problem that Professor Bott did not explain clearly, so please allow me to borrow the cloud chamber of my brother and friend Mr. Philip to re-create Professor Bott's experiment. Research?" "King Mister, I have already said that we still have a lot of subjects to study, and Mr. Bot's work should be done by others." Wang Ganchang was very surprised by Meitner's answer.Both requests were rejected, which made it impossible for Wang Ganchang to confirm his own predictions in experiments. Just over a month after Wang Ganchang’s suggestion was ruthlessly rejected by his tutor, and the Curies also got stuck in a dead end, Mr. Chadwick of the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University, like Wang Ganchang, doubted what Bott and the Curies believed. R-radiation effect, he thought that R-radiation could not have such a large energy, so he used the cloud chamber as conceived by Wang Ganchang, and used the pulses generated by the linear amplifier protons to measure one by one, and decomposed them with the pulses generated by electrons. It was found that the number of protons was so large that it was inconsistent with the theory of R-rays generally believed by the physics community at that time.Chadwick believed that the radiation emitted from the beryllium source was composed of a new substance, so he fought for several days and finally confirmed that this particle is a neutral particle with a mass similar to that of a proton, which is known by later generations. called neutrons.Chadwick also believed that this particle is the main component of the nucleus. The discovery of the neutron caused a sensation in the entire physics world and the world.Politicians who were more eager to figure out what the atomic nucleus is made of have been impatient.Because this is so important, it can then manufacture the atomic bomb that was later proved to be able to conquer all mankind! In 1935, Chadwick was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the neutron. On a shaded path on the campus of the University of Berlin, Professor Meitner patted Wang Ganchang on the shoulder apologetically: "I'm sorry, Mister Wang, I couldn't support your suggestion. However, it's a matter of luck." Female The scientist shrugged his shoulders at his students, and returned to his laboratory...Wang Ganchang sighed to the sky.He has his own views. He believes that science is science, and luck is two different things. Science is a real thing.Wang Ganchang and other people who learned about the matter later believed that if Meitner had listened to his suggestion, and Maitner himself had experimental ability that was incomparable to others, it would not be her student Wang Ganchang who discovered the neutron. none other than!However, Professor Metner, a great scientist of Jewish descent, treats Wang Ganchang as a scientific doll too much.Decades later, someone asked Wang Ganchang whether he complained about his mentor about this matter?Wang Ganchang shook his head resolutely and said: "No, no, not only will I not have the slightest complaint, but I will be grateful to Ms. Maitner for the rest of my life. It is her outstanding wisdom and research spirit that set an example for me to make achievements in physical science in the future. As for When it comes to the discovery of the neutron, it’s not all the fault of Professor Meitner. If I had insisted on my point of view, I might have won Meitner’s strong support and finally succeeded! So in the next few days For ten years, I have always kept this mistake in my heart as a lesson." Wang Ganchang missed the Nobel Prize at the University of Berlin, which is still considered an extremely regrettable event by the Chinese physics community. However, the unforgettable years Wang Ganchang spent with Professor Meitner in the Wilhelm Royal Laboratory of the University of Berlin enabled him to appreciate and accept many international issues. Frontier knowledge and technology of physical science. At the end of 1933, after completing his graduation thesis, Wang Ganchang visited several famous laboratories in Europe, and was fortunate to meet the masters of physics he admired, such as Luther, Chadwick, and Ellis. Engaging in independent scientific experiments in the future expanded my thinking. In April 1934, he returned to his motherland with a "Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Berlin". However, at this time, China was being ravaged by Japanese imperialism, and the Chinese nation was in deep disaster... Introduced by his teacher Ye Qisun, Wang Ganchang first taught at Shandong University.Since Shandong was a piece of "East Asian fat" under the eyes of the Japanese invaders at that time, the situation was turbulent, and it was impossible to conduct teaching and experiments well there.Zhu Kezhensheng, the president of Zhejiang University, invited him to be a professor of physics at Zhejiang University.Zhejiang University is close to Wang Ganchang’s hometown, and it is also a prestigious school. Chen Duxiu, Shao Piaoping, and Chen Bulei, who were already well-known in the political, educational and academic circles at that time, were all graduates of Zhejiang University.The simple and strong academic atmosphere of Zhejiang University is what Wang Ganchang longs for.Therefore, in the summer vacation of 1936, Wang Ganchang came to the Department of Physics of Zhejiang University. At that time, Wang Ganchang was the youngest professor at Zhejiang University.Because of his delicate appearance and easy blushing when speaking, teachers and students of Zhejiang University affectionately call him "Professor Baby". We ordinary people were too unfamiliar with the terminology of physics such as neutron and neutrino in the past, but since nuclear weapons such as atomic bombs became available, we only know a little superficial knowledge about them, that is, neutron and neutrino Neutrinos are the basic particles of the atomic nucleus. Whoever "captures" these small things that have only a short life but are extremely powerful can dominate the world.Therefore, searching for the existence of neutrons and neutrinos is almost the most intense and popular topic among physicists all over the world in the middle of the 20th century, because its importance is not only science itself, but also related to global politics, economy and Military pattern.Scientists do not have the ambition and utilitarianism of those politicians and military strategists, they only have a sincere heart to explore the mysteries of nature.Wang Ganchang is no exception.When he lost the right to discover neutrons under Meitner at the University of Berlin, he reinvested in the experiment and exploration of another elementary particle—neutrinos. As Dr. Yang Zhenning pointed out, since the famous physicist Mr. Pauli put forward the neutrino hypothesis in December 1930 to explain the continuation of the decay energy spectrum, he predicted in June of the following year that there should be a clear upper limit for the continuum of β-rays , Pauli said in a chat with his friend Rabbi in a Chinese restaurant in New York: "I thought that the discovery of the atomic nucleus was just the beginning of our understanding of the fundamental particles of nature. In that family of atoms, apart from protons and There is a more handsome 'boy' besides the electron, I think it is more remarkable than all the boys in the atom family born before!" Half a year later, Wang Ganchang, who was studying at the University of Berlin, used a CM counter to accurately measure the β spectrum of RAE The upper limit strongly supports Pauli's "fantasy". In 1934, the great physicist Fermi established the famous β-decay theory based on the neutrino hypothesis of Pauli and Wang Ganchang. Fermi's paper was sent to the British "Nature" weekly magazine, and the result was "it has too many fantasies". Fortunately, Fermi later sent the paper to another German journal for publication, which made a scientific theory that shocked the world officially recognized. After Pauli and Fermi affirmed the neutrino hypothesis, for a while, scientists all over the world almost stared at the unborn "golden boy" neutrino, and desperately wanted to seize the right to discover it first.The Curies, Vic, Bethe, Pierce, Alguerez, etc. all tried one after another, but they failed to hug the "golden boy" neutrino, all because they did not grasp the correct way to capture it. Method. The Great Scientist was very confused and disappointed, but helpless. At this time, Wang Ganchang felt that it was time for him to attack.He believes that "the ionization effect of neutrinos cannot be used to detect its existence. Measuring the recoil energy and momentum of radioactive elements is the only hope to obtain evidence of the existence of neutrinos".Therefore, he proposed to use K electron capture method to detect the existence of neutrinos, and pointed out that "when a β+ radioactive element does not emit a positron, but captures a K-layer electron, the recoil energy of the reacted element and momentum depend only on the emitted neutrinos... As long as the recoil energy and momentum of the elements after the reaction are measured, it is easy to find the mass and energy of the emitted neutrinos", "since no continuous beta rays are emitted , this recoil effect is the same for all elements". Capture "Golden Boy" neutrinos with K electrons!With his unique and keen insight as a genius physicist, Wang Ganchang opened the door to a great discovery in the 20th century. When Wang Ganchang's paper "A Suggestion on Detecting Neutrinos" was published in the American "Physical Review" in January 1942, it immediately attracted the attention of the famous American physicist Allen, and he immediately carried out the experiment according to Wang Ganchang's suggestion , and achieved success in one fell swoop.This is the famous "Wang Ganchang-Allen experiment". A decade later, Allen, along with another physicist, Davis, formalized the complete experiment to capture neutrinos.Nearly 40 years later, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 to American scientists who conducted successful experiments that year.Wang Ganchang did not regret this at all. On the contrary, he was very happy for his American colleagues after learning the news.He said: "Achievements in physics should still be confirmed by experiments, and honors should be given to those scientists who made the final results." This shows Wang Ganchang's broad mind as a Chinese scientist. The discovery of neutrinos caused Wang Ganchang to miss the Nobel Prize again.In this regard, he has the following opinions: "From this point of view, the Nobel Prize is not unattainable, and the Chinese are fully capable of winning this award. One is to select the right topic, which has great theoretical or practical value; You must persevere, persevere, and spend years or even decades.” These words left by Wang Ganchang before his death are worthy of serious taste and understanding by Chinese scientists. The eastern battlefield of World War II ended with the Soviet Red Army dispatching troops and the Americans dropping two atomic bombs on Hiroshima.When Japan raised the white flag to surrender, Wang Ganchang gave a report entitled "About the Atomic Bomb and Its Principles" at the request of the students of Zhejiang University, which aroused the students' great interest.Cheng Kaijia, who later became the backbone of China's nuclear weapons trial production, and a group of Zhejiang University students, most of them were influenced by this class taught by their tutor Wang Ganchang, and devoted their lives to China's nuclear cause.However, Wang Ganchang himself did not know at the time that he wanted to develop China's atomic bomb himself.Not long after classmates at Zhejiang University celebrated Wang Ganchang’s 40th birthday, this young Chinese physicist and famous scholar was sent by Zhejiang University to visit the University of California on the other side of the ocean.A year later, Mr. Wu Youxun, who was in China, excitedly told Zhu Kezhen, the president of Zhejiang University: The American Association for the Advancement of Science has published a century-old scientific memorabilia, and the only people in China who can be included in it are Wang Ganchang and another physicist Peng Huanwu (also Later, the main developer of China's atomic bomb). "China's hope, Gan Changye." Zhu Kezhen shook his mustache and couldn't help shaking his head. At this time, Wang Ganchang became a famous scientist with international influence beyond reproach. In 1950, Guo Moruo, as the president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, invited Wang Ganchang to Beijing to preside over the establishment of the China Institute of Modern Physics, and fully launched nuclear physics research in New China.Wang Ganchang felt extremely comfortable. Although the conditions at that time were not much better than before liberation, he could carry out theoretical and experimental work in accordance with the laws of physics itself.Because maybe it wasn't for the impact of the more than ten years of war, he had already firmly held the Nobel Prize in his arms. At the age of 90, when Wang Ganchang recalled the work scene in the early days of liberation, his eyes sparkled: "At that time, we felt that we had endless strength and endless work." According to the unified deployment of the country, the Nuclear physics advances in the direction of four basic fields: theoretical physics, nuclear physics, cosmic rays, and radiation chemistry.It has been Wang Ganchang's long-cherished wish to discover new particles and study their properties through the observation of cosmic rays. In 1954, he and his assistants successfully built my country's first alpine cosmic ray laboratory in Luoxue Mountain, Yunnan, at an altitude of 3185 meters. The Decay of Heavy Mesons was read at the International Conference on Cosmic Ray Physics held in Budapest, which aroused strong repercussions from colleagues from various countries. At that time, two Soviet academicians who carried out cosmic ray research at the same time as Wang Ganchang also built a cosmic ray experimental station on the Pamirs.These two Soviet experts were very happy with their success. They operated with a set of electronic systems designed by themselves, and soon claimed to have discovered a new particle called "mutation". Therefore, they became popular in the Soviet Union and won the Stalin Prize and the title of "Hero of Socialist Labor".Wang Ganchang expressed doubts about the "achievements" of his Soviet counterparts, so he re-tested. As a result, he believed that "it is too hasty to assert that there is a discovery based on only one electronic signal", and immediately stated in public that "the discoveries of the Soviets are unreliable."What era was this, and Wang Ganchang dared to make irresponsible remarks on the achievements of the Soviet "Heroes of Socialist Labor" who had already received Stalin's prize?But many scientists later confirmed that Wang Ganchang's judgment was correct, and there are no "changers" in the world. Decades later, physicist and academician He Zuoxiu said: "This incident caused a huge shock in my heart. First, I was surprised that the Soviets had unsuccessful things; second, I admired Mr. Wang's keenness from the bottom of my heart. His scientific insight. Under the political background at that time, Mr. Wang’s outspoken criticism of Soviet scientists fully demonstrated his political courage and scientific spirit of pursuing truth and advocating practice. The enlightenment from this incident is that, when it comes to scientific issues, We cannot use political viewpoints to evaluate scientific discoveries. We should always keep this principle in mind.” Wang Ganchang’s actions and Academician He’s words are thought-provoking. In September 1956, after Wang Ganchang attended the inaugural meeting of the Dubna Institute of Nuclear Research in Moscow, the Chinese government assigned him a special mission: to stay at the Institute and work together with Soviet comrades using the most advanced high-energy accelerator in the world. For better scientific research and development, new China is also in urgent need of nuclear physics scientific research results, maybe we will do more important nuclear scientific work in the future!After the end of the Second World War, the capitalist camp headed by the United States and the socialist camp headed by the Soviet Union emerged in the international situation.This kind of cold war state where there is no me without you will inevitably lead to fierce comparisons and struggles between the two camps in military and politics.In particular, the birth of nuclear weapons marked by the atomic bomb has made nuclear physics experimental research closely related to nuclear weapons more sought-after.In order to deal with the capitalist camp led by the United States, the Soviet government formulated a plan to help socialist countries develop basic research in nuclear physics. The establishment of the Dubna Institute was the first deployment of this plan.The Chinese government lost no time in selecting nuclear physicists with the most development potential to "recharge" here. In addition to Wang Ganchang, there are also Zhou Guangzhao, Ding Dazhao, Hu Ning and others.At this time, when Wang Ganchang's student Li Zhengdao and another Chinese scientist Mr. Yang Zhenning were studying in the United States, they proposed the principle of parity non-conservation in the weak interaction, revealed the nature of the weak interaction, and won the Nobel Prize for this year prize.Wang Ganchang is not only happy for his students, but also holding back his energy: work hard; strive to produce results for the country as soon as possible! During the more than four years from September 1956 to December 24, 1960, when he left the Dubna Institute of Nuclear Research, Wang Ganchang believed that this was the best time in his life to engage in scientific experiments, not only because of the good living conditions here , which is many times better than studying abroad at Berlin University and working at Zhejiang University. More importantly, it has the most advanced high-energy accelerator in the world at that time.The Americans had the first 6.4GeV high-energy proton accelerator in 1955, but the high-energy accelerator of the Soviet Union was 10GeV, exceeding the level of the "old America".Having a high-energy accelerator means that you can obtain the fastest way to study antiparticles. American scientists Chamberlain and Segre discovered antiprotons by using the high-energy accelerator in the United States only a few months after it was built, and won the Nobel Prize for it.The Soviet high-energy accelerator was the accelerator with the highest energy. At that time, whoever owned a high-energy accelerator in the world of physics could embrace the Nobel Prize, and whoever could dominate the eastern and western worlds.The establishment of the Dubna Nuclear Research Institute was the result of the socialist camp represented by the Soviet Union hoping to use the most advanced technical equipment to compete with the Western world in the field of cutting-edge technology.When I first arrived at the Dubna Institute of Nuclear Research, my Soviet friends showed this strong desire when they entertained Chinese guests with Volga wine. "What are Chamberlain and Segre in the United States? Compared with our 'polar bear', their high-energy accelerator can only be regarded as a small donkey. How can a small donkey compete with our strong polar bear? Hahaha..." Soviet friends patted proudly The 10GeV high-energy accelerator built by myself stared at Wang Ganchang and other Chinese friends with scarlet eyes, and said half-awake and half-drunk: "Let's... together drive the Yankees into the Atlantic Ocean, hey...feed the sharks! Mister King, Knowing that you are a great scientist, we are all up to you. Ah, come on, let’s drink to our Soviet, our Comrade Stalin!” Wang Ganchang doesn’t know how to drink, especially the hard alcohol of the Soviet Union. I can drink a few sips of the kind of rice wine from my hometown in Changshu, but at the kind invitation of my Soviet friends, I am almost drunk without drinking!On that day, Chinese experts came to the outskirts of Moscow for the first time. Wang Ganchang, Zhou Guangzhao, Ding Dazhao and others strolled along the banks of the Volga and Dubna Rivers surrounded by lush virgin forests, feeling refreshed and happy.Afterwards, they no longer had time for such leisurely walks. They had to stand next to the huge high-energy accelerator for more than ten hours or even nearly 20 hours a day, or stay in the cloud chamber where there was no light for several days... Wang Ganchang began to be As the leader of the project, he directed the Chinese assistants, and later served as the deputy director of the joint research institute. Not only Chinese scientists, but also dozens of scholars from the Soviet Union, Vietnam, Democratic Germany, Poland and other countries were under his command.Wang Ganchang became a commander of the entire research institute, a commander who rushed to the forefront of the world's science and technology. Zhou Guangzhao, who is now the vice chairman of the National People's Congress of the Republic of China and one of Wang Ganchang's right-hand men, also has unforgettable feelings about that period of history at the Dubna Institute of Nuclear Research.He said: "When Mr. Wang and I worked at the Dubna Institute of Nuclear Research in the Soviet Union, he was nearly 50 years old. We were inexperienced in the rapidly developing high-energy physics at that time. The honor of scientific workers, organize everyone to learn from the beginning. Every night, the Chinese comrades help each other and learn from each other. Mr. Wang himself is no exception. A team built the first large-scale propane bubble chamber in the Soviet Union at that time, and carried out experimental work... We all know how difficult it is for a scientist who is nearly 50 years old to switch to a new discipline and learn new knowledge. But Wang Overcoming difficulties with his superb intelligence, superhuman energy and hard study, Lao not only completed the transformation, but soon became an outstanding expert in the new field." Wang Ganchang knew in his heart that as the leader of the China group and the deputy director of the Institute of Nuclear Research, not only a group of scientists from socialist countries, but also leaders such as Stalin and Mao Zedong were watching his work behind him!Of course, as an opponent, the Americans are also staring at him.Judging from the field of physical science at that time, the competition was also in a white-hot state.Especially after the explosion of the first atomic bomb, the study of elementary particles in physics in basic science has become the most popular frontier topic, coupled with the enthusiastic shouts of politicians, the understanding of the interaction between elementary particles and atomic nuclei and their transformation laws , became the most obsessed research project of famous scientists at that time.Wang Ganchang is in charge of the accelerator with the highest energy, so it is a bit unreasonable not to be the first to research the results. The primary task of Wang Ganchang and the Dubna Nuclear Research Institute is how to choose a research direction. This is like a command plan before a decisive battle. If it is well formulated, half of the victory will be won, otherwise it may ruin the entire battle.Reviewed by Academician Wang Naiyan, and edited by Li Ruizhi, Sun Xiaoguang, and Chang Jiachen, "Nuclear Physicist Wang Ganchang" describes how Wang Ganchang led Chinese scientists and scholars from socialist countries to conduct a series of experiments and explorations using Soviet high-energy accelerators. The process of making a scientific discovery of worldwide impact. When Wang Ganchang came to work in the Joint Research Institute, it was the first generation of researchers using high-energy accelerators to study elementary particles in the world.With accurate scientific judgment, according to various cutting-edge topics at that time, combined with the characteristics of the joint high-energy accelerator, he proposed two research directions: one is to search for particles (including the discovery of various hyperons and antiparticles); To study the law of the generation of various elementary particles under the action of high-energy nuclei.Scientists discover two situations: one is the experiment predicted by the theory, and this kind of discovery has a predetermined direction. As long as the technical route is selected, generally speaking, something will be discovered; Abnormal points are detected in the experimental results and confirmed. This kind of work has relatively higher requirements for the experimental staff.Moreover, the value of scientific discoveries of the former is generally not as good as that of the latter.When Wang Ganchang designed his research projects, he paid attention to both kinds of work: the discovery of new particles has a certain chance, and the use of experimental data that humans have to study the interaction of elementary particles will inevitably result in results.The use of high-energy accelerators to strike nuclear targets can not only generate new particles, but also provide a lot of new information for the study of the generation rules of elementary particles in the process of nuclear interaction.The two research directions chosen by Wang Ganchang just took advantage of the energy advantages of joint research on proton synchrotrons.If the scientific research work is compared to a symphony, then, according to Wang Ganchang's arrangement, the development of the music is based on the theme of finding new particles that he is personally responsible for, supplemented by two equally appearing melodies——research Under the interaction of high-energy nuclei, the generation law of strange particles (in charge of Ding Dazhao and another Soviet comrade) and the study of the interaction between mesons and protons (in charge of Wang Zhuxiang, later assigned part of the analysis work of inelastic interaction to another Soviet Union staff-based research groups).Of course, the main research direction of the research group is to find new particles.This is a challenging subject. It goes without saying that it is difficult, and it can be said that it has certain risks.Because after the establishment of the high-energy accelerator of the Joint Institute, people expect to use it to make breakthrough results as soon as possible.Wang Ganchang requested that no matter who is assigned to which research group, when observing the original experimental data, they must accumulate data for this main research direction. "Come here, everyone, and see if this 'spider web' is strange? It is the anti-supertron we have been dreaming of!" One day, Wang Ganchang suddenly exclaimed to his assistants, and asked them to go over and take a closer look at a miracle that appeared in the bubble chamber. . "Yes, I saw it! It really looks like a spider's web!" The assistants immediately cheered, and surrounded Wang Ganchang to ask him to name this novel particle, because once this novel particle is announced to the outside world, it will shock the whole world. "It's an anti-sigma negative superson, of course it should be called an anti-sigma negative superson! Hehe, it's really interesting!" Wang Ganchang said to himself. "Chinese friends have discovered novel particles!" "Ulla, long live the great Soviet high-energy accelerator!" "Long live Stalin-Mao Zedong!" The research team led by Wang Ganchang discovered the world's first anti-superon, and its significance is no less than a simple Nobel Prize, because it made the basic science at that time greatly leap forward took a step.As Academician Ding Dazhao said: Wang Ganchang's discovery of "anti-sigma negative hyperon" "It is precisely because of the exploration and research of many such scholars that the research on elementary particles has developed from being regarded as 'fundamental' in the 1950s to In the 1960s, it was considered 'not basic', which made people's understanding of the material structure develop to a deeper level. The development of natural science is due to the creative work of these scholars who are active in scientific thinking." "In order to let the US imperialists see the achievements of socialist science", the "Pravda" of the Soviet Union and the "People's Daily" of China both made important reports on the discovery of the anti-sigma negative hyperon.The Soviet scientific authoritative journal "Nature" also pointed out: "In fact, the discovery of anti-sigma negative hyperons eliminated a blank spot in the microcosm system." 25 years later, the Chinese government in that unforgettable "scientific spring" In particular, Wang Ganchang and other scientists who participated in the discovery of the anti-sigma negative hyperon were awarded the first highest award for physicists since the founding of New China: the first prize of the National Natural Science Award.