Scientists Create the Littlest Big Bang to Study the Universe's Origins
Scientists at CERN have successfully created a 'little big bang' using smaller atomic nuclei, specifically oxygen-16 and neon-20. This experiment helps researchers understand the primordial state of matter that existed in the early universe.
Why it matters
This breakthrough allows physicists to study the fundamental conditions of the early universe using smaller, more accessible collisions than previously possible.
Now, a recent experiment by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (also known as CERN from its French acronym) has demonstrated this plasma can be produced by much smaller collisions. Since there’s no longer an accessible natural source of this primordial sludge, these micro big bangs can help reveal what happened in the first few minutes of our universe.
First, a little context. Quarks are what make up protons and neutrons, which, in turn, are the building blocks of atoms and thus all matter. Meanwhile, gluons—as their name suggests—stick quarks together.
During the first microseconds of the universe, quarks and gluons were not yet confined within protons and neutrons but instead formed an extremely hot plasma. As the universe expanded, the matter cooled, and the quarks condensed into larger particles.
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