AI Insight
Physicists at CERN's ALICE experiment have measured particle production inside atomic nuclei at unprecedented spatial resolution, observing structures approximately one-quarter the size of a proton. The measurements revealed an unexpected decrease in J/ψ particle production at the smallest scales, which cannot be adequately explained by conventional "nuclear shadowing" theory. This finding provides new evidence to distinguish between competing theoretical explanations of gluon behavior in dense nuclear matter.
Why it matters
Understanding gluon behavior at these scales is fundamental to quantum chromodynamics and our knowledge of how matter is held together at the most basic level. These findings may require revisions to current theoretical models of nuclear structure and strong force interactions, potentially impacting fields from particle physics to astrophysics.
Understand the Science
Physicists at CERN have found a new way to peer deep inside atomic nuclei and distinguish between two competing explanations for how gluons behave. Using the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, researchers measured particle production at unprecedented spatial resolution, revealing structures as small as about one-quarter the size of a proton. At the smallest scales, they saw a surprising drop in J/ψ production that conventional “nuclear shadowing” struggles to explain.
Source: CERN finds gluons behaving strangely deep inside atomic nuclei