One area that scientists use the LHC to study is the quark-gluon plasma. The quark-gluon plasma is an unimaginably hot, soupy liquid. It’s so high-energy that the quarks and gluons that make up ...

Together, they are finding common ground, where string theory can be applied to the physics of quark–gluon plasma.

At that point, the whole cosmos was in a state called the quark-gluon plasma. Quarks are fundamental particles that make up (among other things) the protons and neutrons at the core of atoms.

Also part of the programme are 'heavy ion' collisions — using the LHC to collide lead ions instead of protons, in the hope of creating quark–gluon plasma — for which a dedicated detector ...