In a groundbreaking achievement, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN initiated its first collisions of oxygen and neon ions on July 1, 2025. This marks a significant step in the quest to understand the primordial matter that existed shortly after the Big Bang.
The LHC aims to recreate the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), a state of matter believed to have existed in the early universe. Traditionally, the LHC uses lead ions to generate QGP. However, oxygen and neon ions, being lighter, are expected to produce smaller QGP droplets during collisions.
This new approach offers physicists a fresh perspective on studying the fundamental properties of the strong force. The ATLAS and CMS detectors at the LHC have been specially configured for these experiments. "These collision systems will allow us to study the evolution of the QGP properties as a function of the system size," stated Riccardo Longo, a physicist from the ATLAS heavy-ion group.
The data from these experiments is expected to provide valuable insights into the extreme conditions of the early universe and the dynamics of subatomic particles. The scientific community eagerly anticipates the results, which could offer new perspectives on understanding matter and the fundamental forces that govern the universe.