Quantum Diaries

I was born in a small town in the middle of China. On the east is the so-called “800-miles” Dong Ting Lake. On the west is Phoenix city and Zhang Jia Jie in western Hunan, full of legendary stories. The Li River runs through. Several miles away, there is a 6500-year-old ancient relic, call Cheng Tou Shan. Our ancestors built the earliest city wall in China there and planted the earliest rice in the world. About 4700 years ago, they left, probably due to strong hostile tribes and decided to go downstream for better development. I left when I was 16, first to attend Wuhan University, then to Beijing to get my Ph.D. I spent five years in Orsay, France and Fermilab in the US as a postdoc, before I returned to Institute of High Energy Physics in Beijing.

Now I am working on Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment. I work on both software and hardware. When I was a graduate student, I majored in theoretical physics. Recently I suddenly recalled why I chose theoretical physics at that time. As a theorist, I could decide when I go to work and what to do. But now, no matter how late I go to bed, I will be called up and will need rush to office early in the morning.

I like reading, such as novels, science fiction, or history. I play Go, at 2-3 dan level. The philosophy of the game is very instructive. Unfortunately, a fast Go game takes at least one hour. Last but of course not the least, I like playing with my daughter, who will soon turn one. I am so glad that she makes progress every day.

我出生在中国中部的一个小镇，东边是八百里洞庭，西边是传奇的湘西凤凰与张家界，澧水河贯穿而过。数公里外有一处6500年前的遗迹，叫城头山，那里有中国最古老的城市和世界最古老的稻田。16岁时离开家乡，到武汉上大学，到北京上研究生，到法国奥赛和美国费米实验室做博士后，最后又回到了北京高能物理所。 我现在的研究工作是大亚湾反应堆中微子实验，既做物理与软件，也做探测器。上研究生时我念的是理论物理，后来转向了实验物理。最近似乎又突然明白了原先为什么要选择理论物理，因为我可以自由选择什么时候工作，做什么工作。不像现在，无论几点钟上床睡觉，九点钟以前一定会有几个电话，让我不得不马上赶到办公室。 业余时间，当然现在很少了，我喜欢看点书，小说、科幻、或历史。我喜欢下围棋，虽然水平不高，二三段水平，但里面蕴涵的哲理和思维方法对我启迪良多。不幸的是，一局棋即使下得飞快，也至少要一个小时。还有我一岁的小女儿，每天都有新的进步。