登陆注册
778500000011

第11章 婚后生活 (4)

In the vacation we went on longer outings by means of our bicycles. In this way we covered much ground in Auvergne and in the Cevennes and visited several regions at the seashore. We took a great delight in these long all-day excursions, arriving at night always in a new place. If we stayed in one place too long, my husband began to wish to get back to the laboratory. It is also in vacation time that we visited once my family in the Carpathian mountains. My husband learned some Polish in view of this journey to Poland.

But first of all in our life was our scientific work. My husband gave much care to the preparation of his courses, and I gave him some assistance in this, which, at the time, helped me in my education. However, most of our time was devoted to our laboratory researches.

My husband did not then have a private laboratory. He could, to some extent, use the laboratory of the school for his own work, but found more freedom by installing himself in some unused corner of the Physics School building. I thus learned from his example that one could work happily even in very insufficient quarters. At this time my husband was occupied with researches on crystals, while I undertook an investigation of the magnetic properties of steel. This work was completed and published in .

In that same year the birth of our first daughter brought a great change in our life. A few weeks later my husband's mother died and his father came to live with us. We took a small house with a garden at the border of Paris and continued to occupy this house as long as my husband lived.

It became a serious problem how to take care of our little Irene and of our home without giving up my scientific work. Such a renunciation would have been very painful to me, and my husband would not even think of it; he used to say that he had got a wife made expressly for him to share all his preoccupations. Neither of us would contemplate abandoning what was so precious to both.

Of course we had to have a servant, but I personally saw to all the details of the child's care. While I was in the laboratory, she was in the care of her grandfather, who loved her tenderly and whose own life was made brighter by her. So the close union of our family enabled me to meet my obligations. Things were particularly difficult only in case of more exceptional events, such as a child's illness, when sleepless nights interrupted the normal course of life.

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 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.

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.

同类推荐
  • 蒙哥马利(名人传奇故事丛书)

    蒙哥马利(名人传奇故事丛书)

    伯纳德·劳·蒙哥马利伯纳德·劳·蒙哥马利(Bernard Law Montgomery,1887年11月17日-1976年3月25日),英国陆军元帅。第二次世界大战中盟军杰出的指挥官之一,1943年,参加攻占西西里和登陆意大利,1944年统率盟军进入法国,6月6日指挥盟军进攻诺曼底,取得了诺曼底登陆作战的胜利。后晋升陆军元帅,受封子爵,1946-1948年任帝国总参谋长。
  • 中国历史名人之二

    中国历史名人之二

    秦始于公元前221年,止于公元前207年;汉包括西汉和东汉,始于公元前206年,止于公元220年。秦始皇顺应时代潮流,凭借强大的军事实力,完成了统一中国大业。秦的统一具有划时代的意义,它标志着中华文化共同体的初步形成,国家统一、多元文化整合的速度和力度加强。汉王朝是政治一元化的大一统国家,不同于政治多元的诸侯列国。西汉武帝时,汉王朝经过数十年的休养生息,进入政治、经济的全盛时期。汉武帝设立五经博士,奖励儒术,正式开启了中国历史上儒学成为学术思想主流的时代,是主导中国文化的最大力量。汉武帝本人雄才大略。
  • 人格大师:康德

    人格大师:康德

    本书遴选了人类历史上最富影响力、最具个性的一百多位中外名人,作者结合青少年的阅读习惯,用生动活泼、严谨细腻的笔触向读者介绍了这些世界知名人士的生平故事、理想追求和光辉业绩,为广大读者描绘了一幅幅极具传奇色彩而又引人人胜的名人人生画卷,是青少年学生最佳的成长伴侣。
  • 为自由而战:南非国父曼德拉

    为自由而战:南非国父曼德拉

    是领袖还是战士?单枪匹马拯救一个国家!是圣人还是枭雄?用微笑让全世界都爱他!曼德拉作为全世界政坛最知名的文化符号,他何以让所有大国领袖都对他推崇备至?人人都爱曼德拉,他的出生背景和童年生活相比常人又有哪些不同?作为全世界的精神偶像,他是否也是一个出色的政治强人?在完美而耀眼的圣人光环下,他的个人生活又有哪些不为人知的缺憾?一切的一切,这本书都将为您解答!
  • 资本的秘密:洛克菲勒自传

    资本的秘密:洛克菲勒自传

    《资本的秘密:洛克菲勒自传》是一部深入挖掘洛克菲勒内心世界和完整展现其人生经历和丰富的商战阅历的作品。将洛克菲勒身上所发生的逸事结合他的人生理念,生动揭示出令洛克菲勒受益一生的人生观和价值观,并解密其成功之道。所有的财富神话都有它背后的故事,洛克菲勒家族也是这样。洛克菲勒的巨额财富来源于他谨慎地利用每一枚硬币,一分钱也要用在恰当的地方,这也许是洛克菲勒构建起如此庞大的财富大厦的秘诀。而我们能看见这个智者留下的手记无疑是一种幸运。站在巨人的肩膀上,我们可以看得更远。
热门推荐
  • 感悟人生(全集)

    感悟人生(全集)

    人生的真谛是什么?我们活着究竟是为了什么?人生是一个严肃而深刻的话题,人生蕴藏着无数的奥秘和问题,等待我们去面对,去思考,去解决。 每个人的一生只有顺利地渡过这些关卡,才算找到了人生的意义,实现了自我的价值。
  • 穿越,神医小王妃

    穿越,神医小王妃

    ◇◇大婚前一月她莫名被设计,匆匆把对方迷昏,留下一锭银子就逃之夭夭。☆她是尚书府刚刚寻回的大小姐白千幻,亦是现代的天才鬼手神医,只想过点清净的日子,没事研究点药草,偏偏有些人不想让她如意。继母贪图她御赐的嫁妆,买通杀手暗杀她。继妹嫉妒她的美貌,屡次试图毁她容貌。未婚夫嫌弃她是庶出,大婚之日当众退婚。她摸摸下巴,笑容格外灿烂,最近正好缺几只试毒的白老鼠。眼看日子可以清净了。莫名被设计,逃之夭夭后,第二天上午,满京城贴满了通缉令,寻找心口有心形胎记的女人。白千幻怎么也没想到,对方竟然是京城一煞——项亲王府的纨绔世子爷项元奂。听说这位世子爷行为乖张、无恶不作,且特别小心眼、爱记仇。当项元奂捏着她的手腕危险的笑:“爷我终于找到你了。”白千幻上下打量了他一眼,心想:最近新研究的穿肠剧毒可以试验了。☆项元奂虽不在朝中,但他却能轻易颠覆朝廷。一次手术让白千幻闻名天下,同时招来无数非议。当朝太子身患顽疾,她被召入宫,手术成功,太子却因阴谋命丧黄泉,皇上震怒赐她凌迟处死,他血染皇宫将她接回。他昭告天下:“谁碰我的女人,我就诛谁全家!”☆一个现代鬼手神医,一个纨绔废物王爷,腹黑斗腹黑,斗的是谁更技高一筹。水晶新浪微博名:雪色水晶-HX,欢迎来互粉调戏……↓↓↓↓下面有“加入书架”的字样,点击收藏本书,以后可以直接在红袖藏书架看到最新更新提示。
  • 随身种田

    随身种田

    因为家庭变故,不得不辍学回家务农的刘睿,在得到了一颗神秘的石珠之后,生活发生了翻天覆地的变化。
  • 尸心不改

    尸心不改

    控尸门的欢乐二缺弟子江篱炼了一具美得人神共愤引得天雷阵阵的男尸,以为好日子开始了,结果没想到门派惨遭灭门。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 拉封丹寓言(语文新课标课外必读第二辑)

    拉封丹寓言(语文新课标课外必读第二辑)

    拉封丹的寓言诗虽然大都取材千古代希腊、罗马和印度的寓言以及中世纪和17世纪的民间故事,但是它成功地塑造了贵族、教士、法官、商人、医生和农民等的典型形象,涉及各个阶层和行业,描绘了人类的各种思想和情欲,因此是一面生动地反映17世纪法国社会生活的镜子。
  • 来自地狱的死亡诅咒

    来自地狱的死亡诅咒

    &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;年薪50万元但要求是农历七月十四出生的男孩。<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;这个诡异的招聘信息轰动全城。<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;当林子健不顾女友的百般反对,成功应聘进入SHU公司,却意外地发现这家公司隐藏着种种不可告人的秘密。一个棺材般的黑木柜,五个镶着不同照片的骨灰盒,其中一个竟然挂着林子健的照片……<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;这是一家什么鬼公司?到处是杀戮和阴谋么?林子健感觉自己掉进黑暗陷阱,危机重重,一个个身份莫测的同事、一个个匪夷所思的事件相继登场,离奇招聘事件背后的真相又是什么呢?<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;暮光之下,林子健深知探索真相的凶险、恐怖,但他别无他路……<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;
  • 明治天皇:孝明帝驾崩卷(下册)

    明治天皇:孝明帝驾崩卷(下册)

    《明治天皇》再现了日本从幕末走向明治维新的历史变革,以优美的文笔,宏大的场景,详细描绘了日本近代决定国运的倒幕运动的整个过程。本书塑造了一个个鲜活的日本近代史人物形象,以及他们的坚定信念,对“安政大狱”、“樱田门之变”等重大历史事件的描述详实生动,是一部了解近代日本不可多得的佳作。
  • 双重爱恋

    双重爱恋

    她是古老氏族“席氏”中集万千宠爱于一身的公主,在外人眼中,却只是一个和寻常人无差别的女孩子,如当年母亲所希望的那样:平和稳重,娴静温雅;在私立高校担任英文教师……但,却没人知道,她的另一个身份是——“他”:席氏集团总裁,一个冷漠甚至冷情的“男人”,手中掌控着多国经济命脉的,站在金字塔顶端的“男人”……*他是西利顿贵族高校中受万千追捧的“特例”,在所有人看来,他阳光帅气,身上没有一丝王子气,在校园中的号召力无人能及……但,却没有人知道,他的另一个性格是——他:*当这样的两人,撞到一起……这好戏绝对是一场接一场,碰撞出来的火花一串连一串……这样的他们,能成为怎样的【绝配】
  • 孢子进化

    孢子进化

    随身携带孢子进化系统,一切都从单细胞开始,看陈天豪如何凭借孢子进化系统,带领自己的种族走向世界、走向那波澜壮阔的星辰大海。
  • 明治天皇:孝明帝驾崩卷(下册)

    明治天皇:孝明帝驾崩卷(下册)

    《明治天皇》再现了日本从幕末走向明治维新的历史变革,以优美的文笔,宏大的场景,详细描绘了日本近代决定国运的倒幕运动的整个过程。本书塑造了一个个鲜活的日本近代史人物形象,以及他们的坚定信念,对“安政大狱”、“樱田门之变”等重大历史事件的描述详实生动,是一部了解近代日本不可多得的佳作。