Li Liang is chasing a ghost particle.
For almost a decade, the professor of particle physics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has given up every summer and winter break to join an international search for an unknown particle that will, in the best-case scenario, make Einstein turn in his grave.
Li has had to travel frequently between China and the United States. The project, known as the Muon g-2 experiment, is based in the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) near Chicago. China contributed some key components, including crystals in the heart of the detector system. Li’s team was involved in the project from the start, from experiment design and hardware assembly to computer coding and data analysis.