欧洲核子研究组织（CERN）与哥本哈根大学尼尔斯·玻尔研究所的研究人员通过碰撞氧-16和氖-20等比预期更小的原子核，首次成功创造出夸克-胶子等离子体1。这种超热物质被认为在宇宙大爆炸后最初的百万分之一秒内充满了宇宙1。
研究负责人You Zhou表示："我们已经推动了原子核能有多小的边界，同时仍能重现这种原始物质——你可以称之为小型大爆炸。"1
碰撞后产生的粒子运动模式保留了原始核的几何形状信息，其中氧核碰撞产生相对圆形的模式，而氖核碰撞则产生保龄球针形的模式1。这一发现为理解核物理和宇宙起源提供了新的探索途径1。研究成果已于2026年8月23日发表在《物理评论快报》第137卷第8期上1。ALICE国际合作团队计划继续用更轻的原子核（包括氦-4）进行后续实验1。
Researchers at CERN, in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, have successfully created quark-gluon plasma by colliding atomic nuclei smaller than previously thought possible. 1 The breakthrough involved colliding oxygen-16 and neon-20 nuclei, which generated this exotic state of matter believed to have filled the universe in the first millionth of a second after the Big Bang. 1
The collision experiments revealed striking patterns in the motion of particles produced during the reactions. When oxygen nuclei collided, they generated relatively circular patterns, whereas neon nuclei collisions produced bowling pin-shaped patterns. 1 These geometric signatures retained information about the original nuclei, opening new avenues for exploring nuclear physics and the universe's origins. You Zhou, a lead researcher on the project, stated: "We have pushed the boundary of how small atomic nuclei can be and still reproduce this primordial matter — you can call it a little Big Bang." 1
The findings were published in Physical Review Letters, volume 137, issue 8, on August 23, 2026. 1 The team plans to continue its investigation using even lighter atomic nuclei, including helium-4, to further test the limits of quark-gluon plasma creation. 1
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