Oxygen collisions reveal new lower limit for quark-gluon plasma formation

Scientists have recreated a primordial state of matter from the early universe by colliding oxygen nuclei at high speeds, with results showing this exotic substance can form in smaller, lower-energy collisions than previously demonstrated. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, reveal a 20% suppression of high-energy particles, a signature of quark-gluon plasma formation. This effect, called jet quenching, was observed in oxygen collisions at Brookhaven National Laboratory's RHIC facility at 200 GeV. These results establish a new lower boundary for conditions that produce quark-gluon plasma, the matter that filled the universe before protons and neutrons formed. The research also enables comparisons with higher-energy oxygen collisions at CERN's LHC, helping scientists understand the limits of primordial matter creation.