CERN creates quark-gluon plasma with oxygen and neon collisions
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CERN physicists produced quark-gluon plasma using oxygen-16 and neon-20 nuclei, far lighter than the lead previously used. The collisions generated signals consistent with the primordial matter that filled the universe microseconds after the Big Bang. The result pushes the boundary for how small atomic nuclei can be while still recreating this extreme state.
Key Facts
- CERN and an international team generated quark-gluon plasma using oxygen-16 and neon-20 nuclei, each less than a tenth the weight of a lead atom.
- The findings were published in Physical Review Letters.
- The collisions produced signals consistent with collective fluid-like expansion before cooling and reverting to particles.
- You Zhou, a researcher at the Niels Bohr Institute and coauthor of the study, said the team pushed the boundary for how small atomic nuclei can be while still recreating primordial matter.
The Experiment
CERN and an international team of collaborators used oxygen-16 and neon-20 nuclei in particle collisions at nearly the speed of light. Both nuclei are less than a tenth of the weight of a lead atom, which was previously considered one of the lightest elements capable of generating quark-gluon plasma. The collisions produced signals consistent with the behavior expected in quark-gluon plasma. For an instant, the generated matter expanded collectively like a fluid before cooling and reverting to particles.
Scientific Significance
Quark-gluon plasma is the dense, hot soup of quarks and gluons that filled the universe about a millionth of a second after the Big Bang. Particle colliders have replicated this state for several years, but typically using heavy elements like lead. You Zhou, a researcher at the Niels Bohr Institute and coauthor of the study, said the team has pushed the boundary for how small the atomic nuclei can be while still re-creating this primordial matter. Zhou added that the result will help scientists better understand how the plasma behaved during the first moments of the universe and how it evolved into the forms of matter around us.
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CERN creates quark-gluon plasma with oxygen and neon collisions
