Scientists at a giant lab called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have been smashing tiny particles called atomic nuclei to learn about the Universe’s very early moments. Usually, they crash big particles like lead or xenon together, but this summer, they tried something new by smashing lighter particles called oxygen and neon. This helped them explore a special, super hot state of matter called quark-gluon plasma (QGP), which existed just after the Big Bang, before atoms were made.
By studying how particles fly out after these collisions, scientists discovered interesting patterns that show the shape and behavior of the QGP. They found that even smaller and differently shaped particles, like neon, which looks a bit like a bowling pin, create flow patterns similar to fluids like water. This means the tiny particles act like a liquid when they crash, giving clues about how matter in the Universe formed and changed long ago.
Different experiments at the LHC, including ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb, all saw these patterns and confirmed that neon really is shaped like a bowling pin. This new knowledge helps scientists understand the building blocks of everything around us and how our Universe began. It’s like discovering a secret recipe for the very first moments after the Big Bang!