Translator:Henyee Translations
Editor:Henyee Translations
On the other side of the planet, in Switzerland, the No.1 lecture hall at CERN headquarters was packed with people.
Luo Wenxuan was dressed in a suit, and he was standing on the aisle next to the podium as he carefully read the thesis in his hand. He took deep breaths, in hopes of lowering his heart rate.
Even though this wasn't his first time coming here, there was a difference between sitting in the audience and standing near the podium.
This was the temple of the international physics community.
In half an hour, he would be scrutinized by the world's top physics scholars.
Luo Wenxuan was nervous as he made his final preparations. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice from the side.
"Your tie is too tight, it'll affect your breathing."
Luo Wenxuan looked over and was immediately surprised by who he saw.
"Professor?"
"You shouldn't be this surprised, you do know that I always spend half of the year at CERN," Witten joked. He smiled and said, "Not to mention, I'm here to attend an important report."
Luo Wenxuan smiled awkwardly as he scratched his head.
"I'll thank the lord if I don't mess up this report."
"Since Professor Lu chose you to do this report on his behalf, it means that he believes in you. If I were you, I wouldn't be this nervous, just pretend like it's an ordinary report."
No sh*t… You're a Fields Medal winner, of course you wouldn't be nervous. I haven't won a Fields Medal before.
Luo Wenxuan didn't say anything.
Witten paused for a second and said, "Speaking of which, how is Professor Lu doing?"
Luo Wenxuan: "He's doing pretty good, but his research is as busy as ever."
"Oh really? That totally sounds like him." Witten smiled and said, "Actually, I don't think he needs to be in such a hurry. He's achieved a few lifetimes worth of success in just a few short years, and he still has decades to go… My suggestion is that he should switch to a healthier lifestyle and find some time to travel or something."
Luo Wenxuan: "I'll tell him your suggestions."
"Not suggestions, just some personal thoughts." Witten looked at Luo Wenxuan, who was still nervous, and said, "Also you, relax a little. If I recall correctly, it's not your first time being here."
Luo Wenxuan replied nervously, "But I've always been in the audience."
Witten smiled and said, "Well, not this time. I look forward to your report, don't disappoint me."
Witten patted his ex-student's shoulder and walked away.
…
After Luo Wenxuan chatted with his former supervisor, he felt a lot calmer.
Soon, it was time for the report to begin.
Luo Wenxuan walked on stage and took out his phone. He dialed a number before placing it next to the microphone on the multimedia desk.
The venue gradually quieted down. He looked at everyone, cleared his throat, and said, "Due to various reasons, Professor Lu is not able to join us today. I will be conducting this report instead. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them now."
Someone immediately put up their hand.
Luo Wenxuan made an inviting gesture and spoke politely.
"Professor, please go ahead."
The old man with a wrinkled face and a crooked nose stood up while trembling. He stared straight at Luo Wenxuan and asked, "I just want to ask one question, what role did you personally play in the solution of the Yang-Mills equations?"
Luo Wenxuan looked at the audience. It seemed like a lot of people were curious about this question.
He adjusted his breathing and tried to speak fluently.
"I… mainly provided a possible idea proof. I also discussed with him how to solve the problem. Of course, as stated in the paper, the main argument was done by him alone."
The old man then asked, "Then does that mean your viewpoint is the same as his viewpoint?"
Didn't you say you only had one question?
Luo Wenxuan complained in his mind. He then explained, "Of course you can this so… unless Professor Lu has explicitly stated another opinion."
He pointed at his phone on the multimedia table and said, "He will be listening to this entire report. He will make contributions when necessary… He has the final say in this report."
The old man nodded and sat back down.
Luo Wenxuan sighed in relief.
"Then, please turn your papers to the abstract section, we'll start from the top…"
Even though Luo Wenxuan was nervous, once the report began, he quickly went into the zone.
He actually had previous experience reporting at CERN. When he was still a student under Witten, he had a lot of opportunities to report on CERN stages. However, those weren't particularly important reports, and there were no big-name attendees.
Time quickly passed by.
An hour had already gone by.
Finally, Luo Wenxuan looked at the last PowerPoint page and sighed in relief. However, he didn't feel relaxed at all.
Even though the PowerPoint presentation was finished, the report wasn't finished at all.
Next up was the Q&A session, the most important part of the report!
"That's basically it… If you guys have any questions, you can ask me."
The second he announced that the report had entered the Q&A stage, hands immediately went up.
Luo Wenxuan looked at the same old man who raised his hand before and nodded.
"Please go ahead."
The old man with the crooked nose trembled while standing up. He then asked in a steady voice, "On page 9, line 23, for the generalized polynomial interactions on R2 such as λR(φ) + φ2, there is a lower bound on R(φ), and 0<λ<λ_0 < 1. How did you determine the isolated single-particle spectrum?"
Luo Wenxuan sighed in relief when he heard this question.
This was a normal difficult question, but nothing too hard.
He cleared his throat and walked to the whiteboard. He then picked up a marker and began to explain while writing, "For the two-dimensional small coupling constant R(φ), the presence or absence of a bounded state depends on the specific case of R(φ). A field with a bounded state will have a mass operator M, which has an excitation spectrum. The mass gap (0, m) and upper gap (m, mb)… This is how we prove its existence."
"As for the single-particle spectrum…" Luo Wenxuan suddenly stopped writing and speaking at the same time.
It was like there was something stuck in his throat, not a single word came out of his mouth.
The single-particle spectrum.
F*ck sake!
How should I answer this?
A single drop of cold sweat rolled off his forehead.
His brain was turning a hundred miles an hour, and all of his brain cells were used on solving this problem.
However, it was to no avail.
There were whispering sounds in the venue, and Luo Wenxuan saw a glimpse of disappointment from some of the professors who were sitting in the front row.
He gulped and felt his limbs going limp.
What should I do…
He couldn't imagine what would happen if he screwed this up.
Even if Lu Zhou didn't care, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
However, a sound came from the phone sitting on the desk, almost like an act of god. The four words gave Luo Wenxuan hope.
Lu Zhou was on the other end of the phone, and he spoke confidently.
"I'll read, you write."
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