第11章 婚后生活(2)

女儿的出生令一个严重的问题出现在了我们面前：怎样才能做到既可以哺育照料女儿又不至于放弃科学研究呢？放弃科学研究，对我来说，无疑是一种巨大的痛苦，皮埃尔同样认为我不应该放弃研究，并且他从来就没有这么想过。因为他经常在说，上帝特意为他造就了我这样一个好妻子，就是为了让我与他分享一切的。我们两个都没有考虑过要放弃我们如此珍爱的科研工作。

这样一来，我们就必须要雇一个女佣了，但我仍然亲自照料女儿。当我去实验室干活儿时，就把女儿交给她的爷爷照看。爷爷十分疼爱自己的孙女，他的生活也因为小孙女的出生而增添了无尽的乐趣。家人之间相互的关怀、体谅，使我能够既安心地从事研究，又没有耽误对女儿的照料。只有当遇到特殊情况时，比如女儿生病什么的，我才因需要整宿整宿地照看她而打乱生活规律。

It can be easily understood that there was no place in our life for worldly relations.We saw but a few friends，scientific workers，like ourselves，with whom we talked in our home or in our garden，while I did some sewing for my little girl.We also maintained affectionate relations with my husband's brother and his family.But I was separated from all my relatives，as my sister had left Paris with her husband to live in Poland.

It was under this mode of quiet living，organized according to our desires，that we achieved the great work of our lives，work begun about the end of 1897 and lasting for many years.

I had decided on a theme for my doctorate.My attention had been drawn to the interesting experiments of Henri Becquerel on the salts of the rare metal uranium.Becquerel had shown that by placing some uranium salt on a photographic plate，covered with black paper，the plate would be affected as if light had fallen on it.The effect is produced by special rays which are emitted by the uranium salt and are different from ordinary luminous rays as they can pass through black paper.Becquerel also showed that these rays can discharge an electroscope.He at first thought that the uranium rays were produced as a result of exposing the uranium salt to light，but experiment showed that salts kept for several months in the dark continued the peculiar rays.

My husband and I were much excited by this new phenomenon，and I resolved to undertake the special study of it.It seemed to me that the first thing to do was to measure the phenomenon with precision.In this I decided to use that property of the rays which enabled them to discharge an electroscope.However，instead of the usual electroscope，I used a more perfect apparatus.One of the models of the apparatus used by me for these first measurements is now in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Philadelphia.

由于我们忙于事业，不愿意受到不相干事情的打扰，所以我们联系的朋友不多。偶尔有一两位像我们一样的科学工作者来访，我们通常在屋子或花园里交谈，在这同时我还经常为女儿做些针线活什么的。在亲戚方面，仅有皮埃尔的哥哥以及他的家人同我们一直来往密切，在我的姐姐、姐夫回到波兰之后，我同娘家的亲戚就很少来往了，因为离得太远。

正是这种平静并且完全符合我们心意的生活方式才使我们得以完成一生中的伟大事业。自1897年开始，这种科学研究事业就从未中断过。我决定要为我的博士论文准备论题了。当时，亨利·贝克莱尔正进行着稀有金属铀盐的实验。这种非常有意思的实验，吸引了我的注意力。当贝克莱尔将铀盐用不透光的黑纸密封好放在照相底片上时，发现底片会被感光，好像受到过日光照射似的。贝克莱尔认为，底片被感光，是因为铀盐能够放射出一种与日光不同的射线，它可以穿透不透光的黑纸。此外，通过实验，贝克莱尔还证明这种射线可以使得验电器放电。刚开始的时候，贝克莱尔错以为铀盐在日光下的暴晒是铀盐射线得以产生的原因，但他后来发现在黑暗中存放几个月之后，铀盐仍旧可以放出这种射线。

皮埃尔同我都对这种新发现的射线具有极大的兴趣，我更是下定决心要对它的性质加以研究。要想研究这种新射线，首先就得对它做出精确的定量测量。于是我便利用验电器放电的特性开始测量，不过我不是像贝克莱尔那样使用普通的验电器，而是换用了一种能做定量测量的设备。我当初用来进行测量的这些设备的模型，现在已经被陈列在美国费城医学院了。

I was not long in obtaining interesting results.My determinations showed that the emission of the rays is an atomic property of the uranium，whatever the physical or chemical conditions of the salt were.Any substance containing uranium is as much more active in emitting rays，as it contains more of this element.

I then thought to find out if there were other substances possessing this remarkable property of uranium，and soon found that substances containing thorium behaved in a similar way，and that this behavior depended similarly on an atomic property of thorium.I was now about to undertake a detailed study of the uranium and thorium rays when I discovered a new interesting fact.

I had occasion to examine a certain number of minerals.A few of them showed activity；they were those containing either uranium or thorium.The activity of these minerals would have had nothing astonishing about it，if it had been in proportion to the quantities of uranium or thorium contained in them.But it was not so.Some of these minerals revealed an activity three or four times greater than that of uranium.I verified this surprising fact carefully，and could not doubt its truth.Speculating about the reason for this，there seemed to be but one explanation.There must be，I thought，some unknown substance，very active，in these minerals.My husband agreed with me and I urged that we search at once for this hypothetical substance，thinking that，with joined efforts，a result would be quickly obtained.Neither of us could foresee that in beginning this work we were to enter the path of a new science which we should follow for all our future.

没过多久，我便获得了有趣的结果。实验结果表明，这种射线的放射其实是铀元素原子特性的一种，而与铀盐的物理或者化学性质无关。任何铀盐，如果它所含铀元素越多，放出的射线也就越强。

于是我又想进一步地弄清楚，是否还有其他的元素也能够像铀盐一样放射出相同的射线。不久我便发现，钍元素也具有相同的特性。正当准备对铀与钍的放射性做进一步的研究时，我又发现了一个有意思的情况。

我曾经有用放射性方法对一定数量的矿石进行检验的经历。如果这些矿石能够产生同样的射线的话，那就能够确定它们含有铀或钍。假如这些矿石的放射强度和矿石所含的铀或者钍的成分成正比的话，那也就没什么好惊诧的了。但事实上却不是如此，有些矿石的放射性强度为铀的三四倍。对这一新发现我进行了仔细的查核，最后确定这是毋庸置疑的事实。我认真分析了这一现象，得出了唯一的一种解释：这种矿石中含有一种还不为人知的元素，其放射性远远胜过铀和钍。皮埃尔也赞同我的分析，于是我便希望可以尽快发现这一神秘的元素。我坚信，只要我和皮埃尔共同努力，就一定可以获得成功。然而，随着研究的深入，我们却走上了一条通往新科学的道路，这是我们始料不及的，而且，从此我们就再也没离开过这条新的科学之路。