Ultracold atoms and oxygen collisions probe the universe's earliest states

· Science

Two experiments reported progress in recreating conditions from the early universe, though they address different physics questions. One team recreated a primordial state of matter by colliding oxygen nuclei at nearly the speed of light, finding that this exotic substance can form in smaller, lower-energy collisions than previously demonstrated—challenging known boundaries of early-universe models. Separately, a University of Birmingham researcher used 24,000 ultracold atoms to build an isolated quantum system that repeatedly expands and contracts, mimicking a miniature universe in a laboratory setting meant to probe what time is and where it comes from. Both results come from laboratory systems rather than astronomical observation, and neither item reports direct confirmation of a cosmological theory.

Why it matters：Both results push laboratory simulation of early-universe physics into new regimes, which could reshape theoretical models of matter formation and of time itself.

Key points

  • Oxygen nuclei were collided at nearly the speed of light
  • The exotic matter formed at lower energies than previously shown
  • The quantum system used 24,000 ultracold atoms at the University of Birmingham

Sources (original reporting)

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