论文部分内容阅读
叶军，浙江绍兴人，世界知名物理学家，美国国家科学院院士。1967年11月出生于浙江绍兴，1989年在上海交通大学获得应用物理学学士学位，1991年在美国新墨西哥大学获得物理学硕士学位，1997年在科罗拉多大学获得物理学博士学位，导师为霍尔。叶军现为美国天体物理联合实验室（JILA）研究员、美国国家标准和技术研究院院士、美国科罗拉多大学物理系教授。今年5月，叶军当选为美国国家科学院院士，成为2000多名院士中最年轻的人之一。
5月3日，美国科学院网站上公布了新当选的院士人员名单，44岁的浙江绍兴人叶军，凭借其在原子分子光学领域的突出贡献当选院士。今年美国国家科学院新增院士90名，有4位华裔学者，叶军是其中之一。
消息传来，绍兴市区一幢普通的公寓里欢声一片，叶军父母向闻讯而来的记者回忆起儿子小时候的趣事。在他们心中，儿子并非是那个名动天下的大科学家，而只是一个懂事而孝顺的儿子。
叶军对世界物理学界的辉煌成就，令人感到骄傲。他能制造出世界上最精准的钟，可以测量宇宙间最遥远的空间距离和时间长度，但他无法测量一件事，那就是沉甸甸的亲情。正是这份亲情跨越重洋，支持着叶军勇攀世界科学的高峰。
而今住在绍兴老家的父母年纪大了，作为科学家的叶军在大洋彼岸最牵挂的仍然是爸爸妈妈。父母大人的健康和快乐，是做儿子的最大幸福，也是他最珍惜的“成就”。
父亲鼓励儿子搏击风浪
叶军有着活泼快乐的童年。父亲叶善祥是一名军人，从大连海军指挥学院毕业后，一直在部队服役，在叶军九岁时，转业到老家绍兴工作。母亲樊常红，在市科委工作，是一名机关干部。因家庭条件较好，叶军的童年充满了欢声笑语。
叶军模仿能力很强，4岁时听广播里整天在唱样板戏，也学得有腔有调。夏天的傍晚，那时没有空调也没有电扇，邻居老少都聚在空地里乘凉。小叶军洗完澡，站在空地中间给大家唱戏，还扮杨子荣的手势，引得大家阵阵喝彩声。
叶爸爸不仅关注孩子的学习，也关注孩子的全面发展。有一次，叶爸爸在叶军的本子里，发现了一篇写蚂蚁的作文写得非常棒，从一只蚂蚁发现食物开始，到呼朋唤友、同心协力把食物搬进洞，写得活灵活现，生动极了。“小叶军观察事物这么仔细，这么好奇，求知欲望一定很强烈。”就这样，他从不限制叶军看什么书，只要叶军愿意看，什么连环画、故事书都由他去看。可是叶军的胆子还不够大，怎么让他培养起男子汉的勇往直前的个性呢？叶爸爸动起了脑筋。
到了夏天，海军出身的叶爸爸，用自行车带着叶军去江里游泳。叶军只会几招浅水池里的“狗爬式”，从没在大江里游过泳。刚下水，不由得有些畏缩。叶爸爸一个猛子扎下去，再钻出头来已经是十米开外了。他大声对叶军喊：“不要怕，游过来！爸爸在这里保护你！”
叶军咬咬牙，把头扎入水中，往深水游去。大概是太紧张，动作十分僵硬，手脚都不协调了，连呛了几口水，就再不敢游了。叶爸爸游到他身边，一个劲鼓励他：“男孩子，不用怕！这还是风平浪静的江面，长大后，你还要去大海里游泳呢！爸爸陪你游！”叶军按照爸爸教的方法，深呼吸，慢吐气，不着急，不慌张，终于能在水里游得酣畅自如。整个夏天，父子俩坚持在江里游泳，叶军的泳技进步飞快，终于能像条鱼一样在水中钻上钻下。
游泳给了叶军一个强健的体魄，也锻炼了他搏击风浪的信心和勇气。几十年来，游泳成了叶军最喜欢的运动，长年累月地坚持锻炼，为叶军从事科学研究提供了坚实的体力基础。
叶爸爸还带叶军去参观海军的驱逐舰，那是当时国家最先进的装备。在驱逐舰里，小叶军新奇地看着令人眼花缭乱的按钮，拉着爸爸不停地问这问那。站在舰艇的前部，叶军对爸爸说，“长大后我也要造舰艇，当科学家！”叶爸爸哈哈大笑，连说：“好！好！我这儿子有志气！”
叶军1985年在绍兴一中读高三，因在全国物理竞赛中取得优异成绩，被上海交通大学应用物理系免试提前录取。1988年，本科毕业的叶军又免试直升研究生，第二年下半年赴美国就读于新墨西哥大学。为要不要出国深造，叶军也面临着一场矛盾的选择。叶军喜爱旅游，父亲时常带他一起去爬山登高。“人生只有短短一辈子，如果你一直在山脚下，只能看到山脚的风景。如果你登到最高峰，所有的风光都会尽收眼底！”听了父亲的话，叶军心里也渐渐有了明确的选择。可是他仍然对家里不舍，他对父亲母亲说：“如果我出国了，就离你们越来越远了，一年当中也只能见到你们一次两次……”尽管也舍不得儿子离家那么远，可是为了他更宽广的视野，更远大的前程，叶爸爸和叶妈妈始终坚持把儿子送出去深造。“小军你就放心吧，我和你爸身体好着呢！不用担心！”叶妈妈说，“今后如果你出息了，我们就去美国看你！”话虽是这么说，可夜深人静的时候，他们一边为儿子感到高兴，也为今后难得见到儿子而感到一丝丝的难过。
叶军在美国获物理学硕士学位后，1992年又进入洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室工作，年底进入位于科罗拉多大学校内的美国标准局属下的激光及原子、分子物理和天文物理研究所工作。科罗拉多大学的光学物理研究，是全世界最出色的。1997年，叶军获得美国科罗拉多大学物理学博士学位，他的导师正是大名鼎鼎的约翰·霍尔。霍尔后来在2005年获得了诺贝尔奖。
霍尔退休时，叶军接管了他的实验室。叶军在霍尔的诺贝尔奖成就——解决光梳技术最关键的实验中，发挥了极为重要的作用。2007年，叶军和他的博士生、博士后们取得了重大突破，制造出了世界上最好的原子钟，这台钟精准的程度令人惊讶，相当于7000万年只差一秒。
自从叶军到美国深造开始，叶爸爸每次给叶军打电话，都要问最近有没有什么新的研究成果。虽然儿子研究的成果，他也弄不懂，但是他依然很关心。“你现在有什么目标吗？”叶爸爸经常这样问儿子。
“爸爸，我想，当选美国科学院院士是迟早的事。得诺贝尔奖嘛，可能没这么快了。”叶军毫无保留地对父亲这么说，然后哈哈大笑。
叶爸爸一边听一边点头。要树立远大目标，他一直在教儿子这么做的。而叶妈妈却不想让儿子承担这么大的压力，总是对儿子说，“身体最重要！”
叶军所在的科罗拉多大学JILA实验室里，研究设备密密麻麻像蛛网一样，叶军常常一连几个月没日没夜地工作，有时连吃饭和睡觉都在实验室中。他对于科学研究的痴迷程度，真是令人难以想象。为了让儿子保持良好的身体状态，叶爸爸总是会提醒叶军，今天你游泳了吗？
虽然远隔重洋，虽然美国的科罗拉多与中国的绍兴隔着14小时的时差，但是亲情的交流无法阻隔。在父母的提醒下，叶军非常重视锻炼，不管多忙，他都会抽出时间，每天去实验室附近的游泳馆里游上一个小时。就算在世界各地出差，他也坚持游泳。
有一次，当叶军到新加坡讲学之时，正好叶爸爸戴着老花镜在看报纸。电话响起的时候，叶爸爸摘下了眼镜，好奇地问叶军：“你是在新加坡吗？”
叶军回答说是的。叶爸爸就更高兴了，他说，刚从报纸上看到，新加坡有一幢56层楼高的酒店，露天的游泳池就在顶楼。“你有没有去那里游泳啊？”
“哈哈哈！”叶军大声笑起来，“爸爸，我昨天就在上面游泳，就像在云端里游泳一样！真的太美了！”叶军还说，有机会一定也要带爸爸一起去那上面游泳。
1992年叶军与爱人张颖结婚。张颖是上海人，在美国当地的银行工作。他们的大女儿叶雪莲出生后，为了让儿子全身心投入研究，叶爸爸和叶妈妈商量了很久，决定把孙女带回中国来养。那时，正是叶军研究事业最忙碌的时候，叶爸爸和叶妈妈也还没有退休，不能远赴美国，只好折衷处理。叶雪莲一直跟着爷爷奶奶生活到六岁，才回美国。记得那几年，叶爸爸叶妈妈付出了极大的心血，有时孩子感冒发烧，半夜里他们裹着大衣、抱着孩子上医院看急诊，挂完盐水已经是凌晨了。直到孩子痊愈了，他们才对叶军透露一点消息：前段时间孩子有点小感冒，现在已经完全好了！
如今，叶军的大女儿叶雪莲17岁，小女儿叶诗莲8岁，都与爷爷奶奶亲得不得了。
荣获大奖仍然孝爱绵绵
叶军的科学成就，越来越被全世界所瞩目。2003年，他获美国青年科学家总统奖，2007年获美国物理学会拉比奖、卡尔·蔡司(Carl Zeiss)研究奖。有一则获奖的新闻公告是这样写的：“叶军今年只有40来岁，但已被国际同行公认为光学领域伟大的人物之一。”叶军还被认为是未来获得诺贝尔奖的有力人选。
叶军非常繁忙，但对父母的孝顺，同样是出了名的。2004年，他请父母一起去美国居住一段时间。叶爸爸和叶妈妈自己去上海美国领事馆办签证，进去不到两分钟，美国人问了几个简单的问题，就通过了。临走时，美国人还说：“你儿子很聪明，真厉害！”
其实，儿子到底厉害到什么程度，做父母的也并不知道。那段时间，两位老人在美国科罗拉多州生活了三个多月，叶军有空就陪他们一起吃饭，周末还自己开着车，带着全家老小一起出游，参观科罗拉多大峡谷和国家公园。
2007年，叶爸爸生病，病情比较严重，住进了绍兴市人民医院重症监护病房。起初，叶爸爸叶妈妈都保守秘密，不告诉叶军，生怕他焦急。住了几天病情还没好转，弟弟、弟媳和亲戚们急了，偷偷告诉了叶军。接到消息的叶军，立刻带着大女儿叶雪莲直奔机场，一刻也没有停留。他们从科罗拉多州飞到洛杉矶，又从洛杉矶转飞上海，再从上海坐车奔回绍兴，连续20来个小时都没合眼。当叶军冲进病房时，一声“爸爸”刚叫出口，两行热泪已经夺眶而出。
当时叶爸爸神志还很清楚，只是口鼻都插着管子，也无法说话。父子俩就用纸笔写字交流，叶爸爸在纸上写：“插管很难受，能不能让医生拔掉？”
叶军当即找到医生，一边寻求解决办法，一边安慰爸爸，在纸上写着：“爸爸，你相信我，一定会好的！”
叶军通过母校上海交大校长办公室，请来了上海最好的医生，以最快的速度赶到绍兴市人民医院会诊病情。那段时间，叶军什么也顾不上了，日夜都守候在父亲的病床边，实在熬不住时，就趴在父亲的病床边打个盹。同室的病友们谁也不知道，眼前这个面容憔悴的男人，是个世界知名的科学家。此时此刻，他的身份只有一个：儿子。
在儿子的悉心照顾下，叶爸爸转危为安，终于出院了。叶军在家待了一个星期，匆匆赶回美国处理工作，过了不久，他又一次赶回老家，这次他随身携带了一台在美国花了5万多元人民币购买的最高级的吸氧机。
叶爸爸体力渐渐恢复了，叶军在绍兴家里，白天陪着家人，晚上扑在电脑前处理一些工作，分配安排他的同事执行各种项目，每次睡下时，已经是凌晨了。可他仍然每天七点多起来，陪着父亲一起在小区和塔山公园散步。
有时看叶军睡得太晚，叶爸爸实在不忍心叫醒他，就自己先出门散步了。等叶军醒来，他马上追上去，陪着老爸散步聊天，聊聊亲戚朋友，讲讲生活工作，其乐融融。每次在小区里碰到别的邻居，大家都会向叶爸爸投来无比羡慕的目光。
在家的时候，叶军就会让妈妈烧一道家常菜：清蒸胖头鱼。那是他最爱的妈妈的手艺。“这道菜，在美国可吃不到！”
叶军经常在世界各地讲学，只要到日本、澳大利亚、新加坡等地，他都会抽出时间绕道回来，陪陪家人，尽尽孝心。如今，叶爸爸、叶妈妈已是古稀之年，身体很健朗。刚刚从媒体上听说儿子当选为美国科学院院士，叶爸爸给儿子打了个祝贺电话，然后开玩笑似地说：“新闻上都说你能测量出宇宙里的时间和空间，那有什么东西是你测量不出来的吗？”
在电话里，叶军还是一如既往的快乐：“爸爸妈妈，我测量不出来的就是，你们对我的关怀，还有我对你们的爱！”
A Scientist of International Renown is from Shaoxing, Zhejiang
By Zhou Huacheng
Dr. Ye Jun (or Jun Ye as he is widely known in the field of research involving interactions of matter and light) is a fellow of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a Fellow of JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder, both being prestigious scientific research institutes of USA. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences on May 10th, 2011. The 44-year-old is from Shaoxing, a city of ancient culture in eastern Zhejiang Province. Four of the 90 elected to the academy in 2011 are of Chinese ancestry and Ye is one of them.
When Ye’s parents learned of their son’s induction into the academy, they cheered loudly with their relatives. In an interview with journalists, the parents describe their son not as a scientist of global renown, but a filial son who understands the parents and loves them deeply.
Dr. Ye Jun has made an atomic clock, one of the world’s best, to measure distance and time, but he cannot measure how much his parents love him and how well he returns that love.
A graduate from PLA Dalian Naval Academy, Ye Jun’s father Ye Shanxiang used to be a professional soldier in the navy. When Ye Jun was nine, he left military services with honors and came back to his hometown Shaoxing. His mother worked in the city’s science commission before her retirement. As a child, Ye Jun showed his strong imitation capability. In good old days when there were no air-conditioners and people sat outdoors in summer evenings to cool themselves, Ye Jun became a big star in evening recreation activities among neighbors when he was only four years old.
The elder Ye paid close attention to the son’s all-round growth. One day he read his son’s essay on ants and was deeply impressed by the son’s sharp eye for details. He concluded that the junior must have had a strong curiosity for knowledge. He therefore decided he would allow the son to read whatever books that might take his interest.
Through his observation, the father knew his son was a timid boy. He decided to make him bold by teaching him how to swim in the river nearby. They spent the whole summer swimming in the river day in day out. Through many painful moments, the son learned to combat his fear and combat difficulties from the outside. At the end of the summer vacation, the boy was able to swim like a fish. And swimming has been Ye Jun’s favorite sport all these years since then. He swims frequently to keep fit and take his mind off his work.
Ye Shanxiang still remembers the day he brought his son to visit a destroyer. The boy was dazzled by a full array of buttons and asked all kinds of questions. Looking out from the deck on the destroyer, he promised that he would become a scientist and make navy ships when he grew up. Hearing the son’s promise, the father laughed gladly.
In 1985, Ye Jun got impressive scores in a national senior high school physics competition and was recruited by the applied physics department of Shanghai Jiaotong University in advance of the national college entrance examination that year. In 1988, he entered the university’s graduate course without sitting for the qualification exams. In 1989, he went to University of New Mexico for the Master of Science degree and received the degree in 1991. In 1997, he received Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. His Ph.D. tutor was John Hall, the Nobel Prize laureate in physics in 2005.
Dr. Ye Jun has established himself as a pioneering scientist of international renown for three areas of research involving interactions of matter and light, but these scientific terms are too difficult for his parents. In an extremely simplified version that his parents can easily understand, he is a scientist who made the most accurate clock in the world in 2007 with the joint effort of his team.
And he remains a son who loves his parents and cares for them. They frequently call each other. In early years, the father kept asking what new projects the son was doing. They knew he worked very hard. The mother was more concerned with her son’s health. She urged him not to work too hard. The parents often call the son, urging him to swim for an hour a day despite his tight schedule.
Ye Jun married Zhang Yin, a Shanghai native, in 1992. Their daughter was born. Years from retirement time, Ye Jun’s parents could not come to the United States to take care of the baby granddaughter. They decided to take the baby girl back to Shaoxing so that their son could totally dedicate himself to his doctoral study and his research. They took care of the baby girl for six years until she needed to go back to the United States for schooling. Ye Jun’s two daughters are most close to their grandparents in Shaoxing.
The parents may not fully understand their son’s accomplishment in science, but the US visa officers in Shanghai do know. In 2004, the parents went to US consulate for visas to visit America and stay with their son for a few months. At that time, USA visa officers turned down many applications a day. The parents witnessed a great deal of disappointment in many faces when they stood in queue for their turn. They spent only two minutes with the visa officers and answered only a few simple questions before they knew their applications were approved. An American visa officer expressed ample admiration for their talented son.
Their over-three-month stay in America was joy and happiness. They toured the Colorado Canyon. The son had dinner with the parents whenever his work schedule had an opening.
In 2007, Ye Shanxiang fell seriously ill and was sent into ICU at Shaoxing People’s Hospital. The family decided at first not to tell Ye Jun of the bad news. A few days later, however, Ye Jun’s younger brother called and talked about their father’s serious condition. Ye Jun and his elder daughter immediately came back to China. It took them about 20 hours to complete the whole journey from Colorado to Shaoxing via Los Angels and Shanghai. Ye Jun pulled strings and the best doctors from Shanghai flew in. A week later, his father checked out of hospital and the son flew back to Colorado. Not long after the first visit, the son came back with an oxygen machine he had just bought in the USA for 50,000 yuan. This time he stayed longer with his father recovering from the illness. They often took a walk in the community compound or visited a nearby park. Meanwhile the son kept in touch with his colleagues in the USA and directed the work in the lab.
Nowadays, Ye Jun travels and lectures around the world. Whenever he comes to Asia or Australia, he manages to come back home to visit his parents.
5月3日，美国科学院网站上公布了新当选的院士人员名单，44岁的浙江绍兴人叶军，凭借其在原子分子光学领域的突出贡献当选院士。今年美国国家科学院新增院士90名，有4位华裔学者，叶军是其中之一。
消息传来，绍兴市区一幢普通的公寓里欢声一片，叶军父母向闻讯而来的记者回忆起儿子小时候的趣事。在他们心中，儿子并非是那个名动天下的大科学家，而只是一个懂事而孝顺的儿子。
叶军对世界物理学界的辉煌成就，令人感到骄傲。他能制造出世界上最精准的钟，可以测量宇宙间最遥远的空间距离和时间长度，但他无法测量一件事，那就是沉甸甸的亲情。正是这份亲情跨越重洋，支持着叶军勇攀世界科学的高峰。
而今住在绍兴老家的父母年纪大了，作为科学家的叶军在大洋彼岸最牵挂的仍然是爸爸妈妈。父母大人的健康和快乐，是做儿子的最大幸福，也是他最珍惜的“成就”。
父亲鼓励儿子搏击风浪
叶军有着活泼快乐的童年。父亲叶善祥是一名军人，从大连海军指挥学院毕业后，一直在部队服役，在叶军九岁时，转业到老家绍兴工作。母亲樊常红，在市科委工作，是一名机关干部。因家庭条件较好，叶军的童年充满了欢声笑语。
叶军模仿能力很强，4岁时听广播里整天在唱样板戏，也学得有腔有调。夏天的傍晚，那时没有空调也没有电扇，邻居老少都聚在空地里乘凉。小叶军洗完澡，站在空地中间给大家唱戏，还扮杨子荣的手势，引得大家阵阵喝彩声。
叶爸爸不仅关注孩子的学习，也关注孩子的全面发展。有一次，叶爸爸在叶军的本子里，发现了一篇写蚂蚁的作文写得非常棒，从一只蚂蚁发现食物开始，到呼朋唤友、同心协力把食物搬进洞，写得活灵活现，生动极了。“小叶军观察事物这么仔细，这么好奇，求知欲望一定很强烈。”就这样，他从不限制叶军看什么书，只要叶军愿意看，什么连环画、故事书都由他去看。可是叶军的胆子还不够大，怎么让他培养起男子汉的勇往直前的个性呢？叶爸爸动起了脑筋。
到了夏天，海军出身的叶爸爸，用自行车带着叶军去江里游泳。叶军只会几招浅水池里的“狗爬式”，从没在大江里游过泳。刚下水，不由得有些畏缩。叶爸爸一个猛子扎下去，再钻出头来已经是十米开外了。他大声对叶军喊：“不要怕，游过来！爸爸在这里保护你！”
叶军咬咬牙，把头扎入水中，往深水游去。大概是太紧张，动作十分僵硬，手脚都不协调了，连呛了几口水，就再不敢游了。叶爸爸游到他身边，一个劲鼓励他：“男孩子，不用怕！这还是风平浪静的江面，长大后，你还要去大海里游泳呢！爸爸陪你游！”叶军按照爸爸教的方法，深呼吸，慢吐气，不着急，不慌张，终于能在水里游得酣畅自如。整个夏天，父子俩坚持在江里游泳，叶军的泳技进步飞快，终于能像条鱼一样在水中钻上钻下。
游泳给了叶军一个强健的体魄，也锻炼了他搏击风浪的信心和勇气。几十年来，游泳成了叶军最喜欢的运动，长年累月地坚持锻炼，为叶军从事科学研究提供了坚实的体力基础。
叶爸爸还带叶军去参观海军的驱逐舰，那是当时国家最先进的装备。在驱逐舰里，小叶军新奇地看着令人眼花缭乱的按钮，拉着爸爸不停地问这问那。站在舰艇的前部，叶军对爸爸说，“长大后我也要造舰艇，当科学家！”叶爸爸哈哈大笑，连说：“好！好！我这儿子有志气！”
叶军1985年在绍兴一中读高三，因在全国物理竞赛中取得优异成绩，被上海交通大学应用物理系免试提前录取。1988年，本科毕业的叶军又免试直升研究生，第二年下半年赴美国就读于新墨西哥大学。为要不要出国深造，叶军也面临着一场矛盾的选择。叶军喜爱旅游，父亲时常带他一起去爬山登高。“人生只有短短一辈子，如果你一直在山脚下，只能看到山脚的风景。如果你登到最高峰，所有的风光都会尽收眼底！”听了父亲的话，叶军心里也渐渐有了明确的选择。可是他仍然对家里不舍，他对父亲母亲说：“如果我出国了，就离你们越来越远了，一年当中也只能见到你们一次两次……”尽管也舍不得儿子离家那么远，可是为了他更宽广的视野，更远大的前程，叶爸爸和叶妈妈始终坚持把儿子送出去深造。“小军你就放心吧，我和你爸身体好着呢！不用担心！”叶妈妈说，“今后如果你出息了，我们就去美国看你！”话虽是这么说，可夜深人静的时候，他们一边为儿子感到高兴，也为今后难得见到儿子而感到一丝丝的难过。
叶军在美国获物理学硕士学位后，1992年又进入洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室工作，年底进入位于科罗拉多大学校内的美国标准局属下的激光及原子、分子物理和天文物理研究所工作。科罗拉多大学的光学物理研究，是全世界最出色的。1997年，叶军获得美国科罗拉多大学物理学博士学位，他的导师正是大名鼎鼎的约翰·霍尔。霍尔后来在2005年获得了诺贝尔奖。
霍尔退休时，叶军接管了他的实验室。叶军在霍尔的诺贝尔奖成就——解决光梳技术最关键的实验中，发挥了极为重要的作用。2007年，叶军和他的博士生、博士后们取得了重大突破，制造出了世界上最好的原子钟，这台钟精准的程度令人惊讶，相当于7000万年只差一秒。
自从叶军到美国深造开始，叶爸爸每次给叶军打电话，都要问最近有没有什么新的研究成果。虽然儿子研究的成果，他也弄不懂，但是他依然很关心。“你现在有什么目标吗？”叶爸爸经常这样问儿子。
“爸爸，我想，当选美国科学院院士是迟早的事。得诺贝尔奖嘛，可能没这么快了。”叶军毫无保留地对父亲这么说，然后哈哈大笑。
叶爸爸一边听一边点头。要树立远大目标，他一直在教儿子这么做的。而叶妈妈却不想让儿子承担这么大的压力，总是对儿子说，“身体最重要！”
叶军所在的科罗拉多大学JILA实验室里，研究设备密密麻麻像蛛网一样，叶军常常一连几个月没日没夜地工作，有时连吃饭和睡觉都在实验室中。他对于科学研究的痴迷程度，真是令人难以想象。为了让儿子保持良好的身体状态，叶爸爸总是会提醒叶军，今天你游泳了吗？
虽然远隔重洋，虽然美国的科罗拉多与中国的绍兴隔着14小时的时差，但是亲情的交流无法阻隔。在父母的提醒下，叶军非常重视锻炼，不管多忙，他都会抽出时间，每天去实验室附近的游泳馆里游上一个小时。就算在世界各地出差，他也坚持游泳。
有一次，当叶军到新加坡讲学之时，正好叶爸爸戴着老花镜在看报纸。电话响起的时候，叶爸爸摘下了眼镜，好奇地问叶军：“你是在新加坡吗？”
叶军回答说是的。叶爸爸就更高兴了，他说，刚从报纸上看到，新加坡有一幢56层楼高的酒店，露天的游泳池就在顶楼。“你有没有去那里游泳啊？”
“哈哈哈！”叶军大声笑起来，“爸爸，我昨天就在上面游泳，就像在云端里游泳一样！真的太美了！”叶军还说，有机会一定也要带爸爸一起去那上面游泳。
1992年叶军与爱人张颖结婚。张颖是上海人，在美国当地的银行工作。他们的大女儿叶雪莲出生后，为了让儿子全身心投入研究，叶爸爸和叶妈妈商量了很久，决定把孙女带回中国来养。那时，正是叶军研究事业最忙碌的时候，叶爸爸和叶妈妈也还没有退休，不能远赴美国，只好折衷处理。叶雪莲一直跟着爷爷奶奶生活到六岁，才回美国。记得那几年，叶爸爸叶妈妈付出了极大的心血，有时孩子感冒发烧，半夜里他们裹着大衣、抱着孩子上医院看急诊，挂完盐水已经是凌晨了。直到孩子痊愈了，他们才对叶军透露一点消息：前段时间孩子有点小感冒，现在已经完全好了！
如今，叶军的大女儿叶雪莲17岁，小女儿叶诗莲8岁，都与爷爷奶奶亲得不得了。
荣获大奖仍然孝爱绵绵
叶军的科学成就，越来越被全世界所瞩目。2003年，他获美国青年科学家总统奖，2007年获美国物理学会拉比奖、卡尔·蔡司(Carl Zeiss)研究奖。有一则获奖的新闻公告是这样写的：“叶军今年只有40来岁，但已被国际同行公认为光学领域伟大的人物之一。”叶军还被认为是未来获得诺贝尔奖的有力人选。
叶军非常繁忙，但对父母的孝顺，同样是出了名的。2004年，他请父母一起去美国居住一段时间。叶爸爸和叶妈妈自己去上海美国领事馆办签证，进去不到两分钟，美国人问了几个简单的问题，就通过了。临走时，美国人还说：“你儿子很聪明，真厉害！”
其实，儿子到底厉害到什么程度，做父母的也并不知道。那段时间，两位老人在美国科罗拉多州生活了三个多月，叶军有空就陪他们一起吃饭，周末还自己开着车，带着全家老小一起出游，参观科罗拉多大峡谷和国家公园。
2007年，叶爸爸生病，病情比较严重，住进了绍兴市人民医院重症监护病房。起初，叶爸爸叶妈妈都保守秘密，不告诉叶军，生怕他焦急。住了几天病情还没好转，弟弟、弟媳和亲戚们急了，偷偷告诉了叶军。接到消息的叶军，立刻带着大女儿叶雪莲直奔机场，一刻也没有停留。他们从科罗拉多州飞到洛杉矶，又从洛杉矶转飞上海，再从上海坐车奔回绍兴，连续20来个小时都没合眼。当叶军冲进病房时，一声“爸爸”刚叫出口，两行热泪已经夺眶而出。
当时叶爸爸神志还很清楚，只是口鼻都插着管子，也无法说话。父子俩就用纸笔写字交流，叶爸爸在纸上写：“插管很难受，能不能让医生拔掉？”
叶军当即找到医生，一边寻求解决办法，一边安慰爸爸，在纸上写着：“爸爸，你相信我，一定会好的！”
叶军通过母校上海交大校长办公室，请来了上海最好的医生，以最快的速度赶到绍兴市人民医院会诊病情。那段时间，叶军什么也顾不上了，日夜都守候在父亲的病床边，实在熬不住时，就趴在父亲的病床边打个盹。同室的病友们谁也不知道，眼前这个面容憔悴的男人，是个世界知名的科学家。此时此刻，他的身份只有一个：儿子。
在儿子的悉心照顾下，叶爸爸转危为安，终于出院了。叶军在家待了一个星期，匆匆赶回美国处理工作，过了不久，他又一次赶回老家，这次他随身携带了一台在美国花了5万多元人民币购买的最高级的吸氧机。
叶爸爸体力渐渐恢复了，叶军在绍兴家里，白天陪着家人，晚上扑在电脑前处理一些工作，分配安排他的同事执行各种项目，每次睡下时，已经是凌晨了。可他仍然每天七点多起来，陪着父亲一起在小区和塔山公园散步。
有时看叶军睡得太晚，叶爸爸实在不忍心叫醒他，就自己先出门散步了。等叶军醒来，他马上追上去，陪着老爸散步聊天，聊聊亲戚朋友，讲讲生活工作，其乐融融。每次在小区里碰到别的邻居，大家都会向叶爸爸投来无比羡慕的目光。
在家的时候，叶军就会让妈妈烧一道家常菜：清蒸胖头鱼。那是他最爱的妈妈的手艺。“这道菜，在美国可吃不到！”
叶军经常在世界各地讲学，只要到日本、澳大利亚、新加坡等地，他都会抽出时间绕道回来，陪陪家人，尽尽孝心。如今，叶爸爸、叶妈妈已是古稀之年，身体很健朗。刚刚从媒体上听说儿子当选为美国科学院院士，叶爸爸给儿子打了个祝贺电话，然后开玩笑似地说：“新闻上都说你能测量出宇宙里的时间和空间，那有什么东西是你测量不出来的吗？”
在电话里，叶军还是一如既往的快乐：“爸爸妈妈，我测量不出来的就是，你们对我的关怀，还有我对你们的爱！”
A Scientist of International Renown is from Shaoxing, Zhejiang
By Zhou Huacheng
Dr. Ye Jun (or Jun Ye as he is widely known in the field of research involving interactions of matter and light) is a fellow of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a Fellow of JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder, both being prestigious scientific research institutes of USA. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences on May 10th, 2011. The 44-year-old is from Shaoxing, a city of ancient culture in eastern Zhejiang Province. Four of the 90 elected to the academy in 2011 are of Chinese ancestry and Ye is one of them.
When Ye’s parents learned of their son’s induction into the academy, they cheered loudly with their relatives. In an interview with journalists, the parents describe their son not as a scientist of global renown, but a filial son who understands the parents and loves them deeply.
Dr. Ye Jun has made an atomic clock, one of the world’s best, to measure distance and time, but he cannot measure how much his parents love him and how well he returns that love.
A graduate from PLA Dalian Naval Academy, Ye Jun’s father Ye Shanxiang used to be a professional soldier in the navy. When Ye Jun was nine, he left military services with honors and came back to his hometown Shaoxing. His mother worked in the city’s science commission before her retirement. As a child, Ye Jun showed his strong imitation capability. In good old days when there were no air-conditioners and people sat outdoors in summer evenings to cool themselves, Ye Jun became a big star in evening recreation activities among neighbors when he was only four years old.
The elder Ye paid close attention to the son’s all-round growth. One day he read his son’s essay on ants and was deeply impressed by the son’s sharp eye for details. He concluded that the junior must have had a strong curiosity for knowledge. He therefore decided he would allow the son to read whatever books that might take his interest.
Through his observation, the father knew his son was a timid boy. He decided to make him bold by teaching him how to swim in the river nearby. They spent the whole summer swimming in the river day in day out. Through many painful moments, the son learned to combat his fear and combat difficulties from the outside. At the end of the summer vacation, the boy was able to swim like a fish. And swimming has been Ye Jun’s favorite sport all these years since then. He swims frequently to keep fit and take his mind off his work.
Ye Shanxiang still remembers the day he brought his son to visit a destroyer. The boy was dazzled by a full array of buttons and asked all kinds of questions. Looking out from the deck on the destroyer, he promised that he would become a scientist and make navy ships when he grew up. Hearing the son’s promise, the father laughed gladly.
In 1985, Ye Jun got impressive scores in a national senior high school physics competition and was recruited by the applied physics department of Shanghai Jiaotong University in advance of the national college entrance examination that year. In 1988, he entered the university’s graduate course without sitting for the qualification exams. In 1989, he went to University of New Mexico for the Master of Science degree and received the degree in 1991. In 1997, he received Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. His Ph.D. tutor was John Hall, the Nobel Prize laureate in physics in 2005.
Dr. Ye Jun has established himself as a pioneering scientist of international renown for three areas of research involving interactions of matter and light, but these scientific terms are too difficult for his parents. In an extremely simplified version that his parents can easily understand, he is a scientist who made the most accurate clock in the world in 2007 with the joint effort of his team.
And he remains a son who loves his parents and cares for them. They frequently call each other. In early years, the father kept asking what new projects the son was doing. They knew he worked very hard. The mother was more concerned with her son’s health. She urged him not to work too hard. The parents often call the son, urging him to swim for an hour a day despite his tight schedule.
Ye Jun married Zhang Yin, a Shanghai native, in 1992. Their daughter was born. Years from retirement time, Ye Jun’s parents could not come to the United States to take care of the baby granddaughter. They decided to take the baby girl back to Shaoxing so that their son could totally dedicate himself to his doctoral study and his research. They took care of the baby girl for six years until she needed to go back to the United States for schooling. Ye Jun’s two daughters are most close to their grandparents in Shaoxing.
The parents may not fully understand their son’s accomplishment in science, but the US visa officers in Shanghai do know. In 2004, the parents went to US consulate for visas to visit America and stay with their son for a few months. At that time, USA visa officers turned down many applications a day. The parents witnessed a great deal of disappointment in many faces when they stood in queue for their turn. They spent only two minutes with the visa officers and answered only a few simple questions before they knew their applications were approved. An American visa officer expressed ample admiration for their talented son.
Their over-three-month stay in America was joy and happiness. They toured the Colorado Canyon. The son had dinner with the parents whenever his work schedule had an opening.
In 2007, Ye Shanxiang fell seriously ill and was sent into ICU at Shaoxing People’s Hospital. The family decided at first not to tell Ye Jun of the bad news. A few days later, however, Ye Jun’s younger brother called and talked about their father’s serious condition. Ye Jun and his elder daughter immediately came back to China. It took them about 20 hours to complete the whole journey from Colorado to Shaoxing via Los Angels and Shanghai. Ye Jun pulled strings and the best doctors from Shanghai flew in. A week later, his father checked out of hospital and the son flew back to Colorado. Not long after the first visit, the son came back with an oxygen machine he had just bought in the USA for 50,000 yuan. This time he stayed longer with his father recovering from the illness. They often took a walk in the community compound or visited a nearby park. Meanwhile the son kept in touch with his colleagues in the USA and directed the work in the lab.
Nowadays, Ye Jun travels and lectures around the world. Whenever he comes to Asia or Australia, he manages to come back home to visit his parents.