# UK physicists share prestigious Breakthrough Prize for muon research **Published:** 2026-05-29T23:25:06.000Z **Source:** [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-researchers-part-global-team-awarded-breakthrough-prize-fundamental-physics) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/uk-physicists-share-prestigious-breakthrough-prize-for-muon-research LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky physicists are among an international team recognized with the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, one of the world's most prestigious scientific honors, [according to the university](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-researchers-part-global-team-awarded-breakthrough-prize-fundamental-physics). Faculty members Renee Fatemi, Tim Gorringe and Brad Plaster, along with five postdoctoral scholars and five graduate students from UK's Department of Physics and Astronomy, contributed to the [Fermilab international collaboration](https://breakthroughprize.org/Laureates/1/L4025) that earned the recognition. The award recognizes three generations of the muon g-2 experiment conducted [at CERN, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Fermilab](https://breakthroughprize.org/Laureates/1). The $3 million prize celebrates the decades-long effort to better understand fundamental properties of matter. The Muon g-2 experiment provided the world's most precise measurement to date of the muon, beginning at CERN in the 1970s, shifting to Brookhaven National Laboratory in the 1990s and concluding at Fermilab with final publication in 2025. The muon is a heavy, unstable cousin of the electron that behaves like a tiny magnet. Physicists study how the muon's magnetic strength is affected by the "foam" of virtual particles constantly popping in and out of empty space, allowing them to test whether any unknown particles or forces are hidden in this foam. Previous measurements at Brookhaven in the late 1990s and early 2000s showed a possible discrepancy with theoretical calculations, which could indicate new physics possibly caused by undiscovered particles. "The 2025 result in perfect agreement with the experiment's previous results proved to be the world's most precise measurement of the muon magnetic anomaly." Tim Gorringe, a professor of physics and one of UK's lead researchers, said in a statement: "Large experiments succeed through teamwork, and the award recognizes three generations of g-2 experiments and the international collaborative efforts of graduate students, post-docs and scientists that pulled them off." Laura Kelton, a former UK doctoral student and postdoctoral scholar now at Trinity University, said the experience living at the lab for several years transformed her career. "My work focused mostly on analysis, but I also optimized beamlines, monitored data collection and even operated the magnetic-field trolley occasionally," Kelton said. "All of these experiences prepared me well to continue my own research." The recognition places UK researchers among leading scientists worldwide working to answer fundamental questions in physics. ## Sources - [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-researchers-part-global-team-awarded-breakthrough-prize-fundamental-physics) - [Breakthrough Prize announcement on 2026 Fundamental Physics award](https://breakthroughprize.org/Laureates/1) - [Fermilab news on Muon g-2 Breakthrough Prize recognition](https://news.fnal.gov/2026/04/fermilab-experiment-receives-prestigious-breakthrough-prize-in-fundamental-physics/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from University of Kentucky News, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-researchers-part-global-team-awarded-breakthrough-prize-fundamental-physics.