Physicists create a tiny “Big Bang” with surprisingly small atomic nuclei
Physicists at CERN have successfully recreated a primordial state of matter known as quark-gluon plasma using smaller atomic nuclei than previously thought possible. This experiment provides new insights into the conditions of the early Universe shortly after the Big Bang.
Why it matters
Expanding the range of nuclei capable of producing this plasma allows scientists to better understand the fundamental physics of the early Universe.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have recreated the primordial state of matter believed to have filled the Universe shortly after the Big Bang, using collisions between atomic nuclei far smaller than scientists once thought possible. These microscopic versions of the early Universe could help researchers understand both the first moments of cosmic history and some of the deepest questions in nuclear physics.
What was the Universe like before stars, planets, atoms, and the other familiar forms of matter existed?
At CERN in Switzerland, physicists are trying to answer that question by reproducing some of the extreme conditions that existed in the Universe shortly after its birth. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute, working with scientists in the international ALICE collaboration, have now taken an important step toward that goal.
Recreating the Universe's Primordial Matter
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