A report by:

Comm. DL Wey

DCOSR: SFS-SFC

In the realm of the quantum world, an exotic state of matter exists which has not been seen since the time of the Big Bang. This 'state' in which such matter (referred throughout as QGP or Quark-Gluon Plasma) was found lasted some ten microseconds after the Big Bang. Now, this 'quark stew' has been 'recreated' through the collision of two lead nuclei (composed of 208 protons and neutrons) by means of a high-energy particle accelerator. Quarks (held together by aptly named particles called gluons) are considered to be the most basic constituents of matter thus known. Combined to form the more familiar protons and neutrons, as well as the various other more exotic particles within the known universe; such particles are rarely seen, hidden away within their parent particles by a phenomenon referred to as 'confinement'. The charge of a quark is described as one of three 'colors'. It is through this 'confinement' (which dictates that quarks 'must' group together in sets so that they combine to form 'white', or in 'pairs' of quarks and anti-quarks so that their colors cancel out) that individual quarks are rarely seen. In the collisions of lead nuclei, for the purpose of spotting quarks, a host of other particles can be created (such as the hadron, composed of 'confined' quarks and antiquarks). In the highly agitated state caused by the collision, such particles form into a plasma state, later expanding and cooling as they move outward from the collision. On rarer occasions of conditions being ripe for a plasma, a combination of quarks (denoted as Top, Bottom, Up, Down, Charmed and Strange) occurred and a particle called Omega (containing three 'strange' quarks) was fifteen times more likely to be created. Other 'rare' particles have been seen during the initial 'detonation'; these include the J/psi meson (consisting of a charm quark and charm antiquark). This is what is believed to be akin to the very first moments of creation, or ten milliseconds after. Such energy density is some seven times that of ordinary nuclear matter. Definitive evidence of such will need wait until the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Further updates will be presented, as data becomes available.