Physicists look inside deuterons to understand how our matter is glued together

Scientists have found a way to “look” inside deuterons, the simplest atomic nuclei, to better understand the “glue”

which holds the building blocks of matter together.Scientists collided photons (particles of light) with deuterons, which consist of just one proton bound to one neutron. During this process, photons act like an x-ray. This gives scientists an idea of ​​how gluons are arranged inside the deuteron. Such collisions can also tear a deuteron apart, which is how physicists understand what holds a proton and neutron together.

In a new study, scientistsof the STAR Collaboration examined existing data on deuteron-gold collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), a US Department of Energy user facility. At RHIC, researchers can use photons surrounding fast-moving gold ions to study the role of gluons. By studying the dynamics of gluons in the deuteron, the simplest atomic nucleus, scientists gain insight into how the distribution and behavior of gluons as force-carrying particles change as nuclei become more complex.

In RHIC collisions studied in thiswork, the scientists used the STAR detector to track how much momentum was transferred from the gluons inside the deuteron to the particles created as a result of these interactions. Because this momentum transfer is related to where gluons are located inside the nucleus, physicists used this data to map the distribution of gluons in the deuteron. In addition, each photon-gluon interaction also deflects the deuteron, and sometimes breaks it apart. STAR tracked the "observer neutrons" that emerged from this decay to learn more about how gluons hold these nuclei together.

Studying the deuteron, the simplest nucleus in nature,scientists gain insight into the more complex atomic nuclei that make up virtually all visible matter in the universe. Such studies help explain how nuclei arise from quarks and gluons and how nuclear masses are dynamically generated by gluons. Deuterons also play an important role in the energy production inside the Sun, which begins with the fusion of two protons to form a deuteron. Studying deuterons helps scientists understand fusion reactions and recreate them here on Earth to produce clean electricity.

Understanding the role of gluons in nuclear matterwill be the focus of the Electron Ion Collider (EIC), a new facility that is in the planning stages at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The EIC will use photons generated by electrons to study the distribution of gluons within protons and nuclei, and to study the force that holds protons and neutrons together to form nuclei.

Read more:

A compelling new theory emerges as to why the Mayan civilization collapsed

The supersonic plane will fly at a speed of 2,000 km/h and cross the ocean in 3.5 hours

Archaeologist robot dives 1,000 meters underwater to inspect sunken ship