LHC Finds Quark-Gluon Plasma Clues in Light-Ion Collisions
Four major LHC experiments (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, LHCb) report signs that oxygen–oxygen and neon–neon collisions produce quark-gluon plasma, the primordial matter from the early Universe. Evidence includes parton energy loss, suppression of energetic particles, upsilon-meson suppression, and anisotropic flow, suggesting QGP can form in lighter ions and challenging previous assumptions. Ongoing studies with the HL-LHC aim to study this state in greater detail.