"Dear distinguished guests, distinguished scholars, distinguished professors, graduate students, and scientific researchers..."

"Welcome everyone to come here and witness with us the rubber ball we have been looking for for decades..."

"Also witness with us the decommissioning ceremony of all colliders in SLAC..."

"Starting from the linear high-energy electron accelerator SLAC Linac, these colliders have been in continuous service for nearly fifty years..."

"It's an honor that, as the original researcher, I accompanied them to the end..."

"I am also very fortunate that because of SLAC Linac, Professor Kendall, Professor Taylor and I jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990..."

"Of course, the discoveries made by SLAC are far more than these. Before us, the experimental team led by Professor Richter had carried out research on the collision of matter and antimatter through the electron-positron accelerating ring SPEAR, and successfully discovered charm.

Quark..."

"In addition, Professor Pell used SPEAR to discover the third-generation leptons produced after the collision of electrons and positrons, which are tau particles..."

Friedman had already adjusted his mood before taking the stage.

For a successful scientist like him, the so-called fame and wealth are just external things, a kind of affirmation of his own achievements.

The reason why he said these words at the opening of this physicists' conference.

It's because of nostalgia and reluctance.

Before this physicists' conference, the U.S. Department of Energy and Stanford University had already begun the process of shutting down the laboratory.

The place where Friedman worked all his life is really gone now.

There may be other emotions as well.

But it's not that important.

SLAC, with its outstanding achievements, cannot be ignored in the history of physics, especially in the history of high-energy physics.

When speaking on stage, Friedman felt as if the scenes of his old work were right in front of him.

Time flies, and the time in this life is really limited.

Friedman felt that it was worth it to dedicate his life to the scientific research he loved.

Friedman feels that it is really good and very happy to be able to achieve fruitful research results in this career.

After retracting his thoughts that were gradually distracted by him, Friedman glanced at the people in the audience, smiled slowly and said: "Don't think I'm verbose, just give the old man a little more time. What you expect will be there later.

I believe that young people can also speak better than an old man like me."

After hearing what Friedman said, everyone in the audience smiled in understanding.

There were also many people looking towards where Chen Zhou was.

Nowadays, there are really not many people in the world of mathematics or physics who do not know the name Chen Zhou.

At this conference of physicists, there were definitely not a few people who came to Chen Zhou.

Chen Zhou naturally felt the attention being paid to him. This was something he was used to.

However, the people paying attention have changed from students to experts in the field.

After thinking about it, Chen Zhou took the lead in applauding Friedman.

The applause gradually became louder.

This is not only for the old man on the stage, but also for SLAC who has made great contributions.

Friedman looked at the applauding people in the audience and felt slightly moved.

But soon, he adjusted his mood, and when the applause disappeared, Friedman continued:

"As we all know, there are many particles in the universe. The discovery of new substances and new particles will definitely help us uncover the mystery of the universe."

"It can also advance the process of 'new physics', and the large collider is a machine suitable for microscopic physics research..."

"It is true that in the process of collider research, there are constraints due to various reasons, and there may always be a great asymmetry between investment and harvest, because scientific research itself is extremely uncertain..."

"But the facts also prove that the large collider has not let us down in the past research process..."

"Whether it is the new particles discovered by SLAC or the Higgs particle discovered by CERN, they are all valuable treasures we have gained..."

"I believe that in the near future, we will also be able to obtain what we all long for on the collider..."

When he said this, Friedman's expression turned slightly gloomy.

If it weren't for the transformation of the world's high-energy physics research center, if it weren't for the rise of CERN, perhaps SLAC's collider laboratory would still have a certain lifespan.

But this is also a necessity for historical development and the development of scientific research.

You can't trust your future to outdated equipment.

Here, Friedman can say it frankly, although he has some helplessness, but it also means that he admits this fact.

If nothing else, CERN does represent a future possibility in a sense.

During the construction of CERN, more than 8,000 scientists and technicians were involved in order to ensure the normal progress of the project.

Then after 14 years of hard work and financial support from dozens of countries, the world's largest hadron collider was finally built here at CERN.

And the result is just as Friedman said.

After being officially put into use, the world's largest hadron collider discovered the Higgs boson, known as the "God particle."

It is also this fact that gives confidence to many physicists, including Friedman who is on the stage at this moment.

They all believe that the large collider is bound to discover some exciting substances.

Even some physicists assert that extra spatial dimensions, dark matter particles or some new symmetries can be discovered through large collider.

"As I said before, matter is the basic structure that makes up the world. Research in any scientific field is inseparable from the study of microscopic particles." After sorting out his thoughts for a while, Friedman continued.

"Exploring the laws and mysteries of the microscopic world can help mankind know more clearly 'where we come from and where we should go'."

"From this perspective, particle research through large colliders is absolutely necessary. At the same time, using colliders to conduct particle research can also contribute to the cultivation of talents."

"From ordinary to outstanding, a scientist's growth must be rooted in practical research. Science that stays in theoretical research cannot be called real science in a strict sense."

"Only by combining practice and theory can a scientist go further and create more infinite possibilities. Only by participating in more advanced research can greater breakthroughs be achieved."

After saying this, Friedman paused for a moment and glanced at Chen Zhou intentionally or unintentionally.

Although Chen Zhou's growth rate is rapid, Friedman feels that one of the reasons for this is his outstanding talent in physics and his almost quasi-accurate physics intuition.

On the other hand, it is also related to the scientific research environment he was exposed to.

Not to mention SLAC, Chen Zhou has been involved in the rubber ball experimental project since he enrolled at MIT.

When he was at Yenching University, Friedman also knew that Chen Zhou started in particle accelerators.

Even the experimental conditions there are not as good as those at SLAC.

But this starting point is already beyond the reach of most graduate students.

Not to mention, when he was studying at Yan University, Chen Zhou was just an undergraduate.

Chen Zhou, who had been staring at the stage, naturally noticed Friedman's seemingly casual glance.

As for Chen Zhou, he is very grateful to this professor.

Take the most recent one, if Friedman hadn't taken him to the beach, showed him the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, and told him some "research experiences."

If Friedman hadn't given him a lot of freedom from the beginning, he would have chosen to believe what he said.

So, this last rubber ball experiment will definitely not be successful.

How long will the problem of "sexual confinement" be troubled by the lack of security?

And it has been bothering him since he left SLAC.

Withdrawing his gaze, Friedman began his final speech.

"The discovery of glue balls will be SLAC's last gift to the physics community. Before the start of this conference, all SLAC collider laboratories have been shut down one after another..."

When they heard that SLAC had shut down all the collider laboratories one after another, there was some slight commotion among the people in the audience.

After all, the physicists' conference, which was held mainly because of the rubber ball, only officially started today.

Moreover, what Friedman said at the beginning made everyone believe that the closure of the collider laboratory should occur after the conference.

Unexpectedly, the "contributor" discovered by Rubber Ball had already been retired before that.

Doesn't this seem a bit "anxious"?

But this is SLAC's decision. At most, they can only lament how quickly SLAC acted and how quickly the times changed.

Otherwise, they can't say anything and it's hard to say anything.

"I know you are all thinking, why did the rubber ball collider that was just discovered have to be shut down? Doesn't the discovery of the rubber ball not prove its own value?"

Looking at the people in the audience, Friedman smiled and answered his own question: "In fact, we can think about it the other way around. If we can discover the rubber ball, SLAC's mission is basically over."

"Thinking about it, we researchers who have accompanied the collider are already this old, and we have gone through an era."

"Just like the discovery of our rubber ball experiment was led by a young man, the future belongs to young people..."

"In the future, there will be a newer era, and it will also be an era for more young people..."
To be continued...