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Oxygen collisions at RHIC reportedly recreate early-universe matter

According to ScienceDaily, STAR data from 2021 oxygen collisions at RHIC suggest scientists can recreate early-universe matter.

Updated Oct 31, 2026 · 14:13 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Scientists report recreating an early-universe state of matter by colliding oxygen nuclei near light speed.[ScienceDaily]
  • Researchers analyzed 2021 STAR data from RHIC oxygen collisions at 200 GeV and reported a 20% particle suppression.[ScienceDaily]
  • The results suggest the state can form in far smaller nuclei than the gold typically used at RHIC, though only ScienceDaily has reported them.[ScienceDaily]

Key facts

  • RHIC operated as a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory from 2000 until 2026.[ScienceDaily]
  • The team analyzed STAR measurements from RHIC oxygen collisions conducted in 2021 at a collision energy of 200 GeV.[ScienceDaily]
  • An oxygen nucleus contains eight protons and eight neutrons, far smaller than the gold nuclei, which contain 79 protons and 118 neutrons, typically used at RHIC.[ScienceDaily]
  • The results revealed a 20% suppression of high-energy particles associated with jet quenching.[ScienceDaily]
  • The LHC carried out its first oxygen collisions in 2025 at energies exceeding 5,000 GeV, far above the 200 GeV used in the RHIC measurements.[ScienceDaily]

What remains uncertain

  • It is not established that the 20% suppression confirms primordial matter formation in oxygen collisions, as the findings are described only as suggestive.[ScienceDaily]
  • Only one publisher, ScienceDaily, has reported the findings, so independent confirmation is not shown in the provided reporting.[ScienceDaily]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.