Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is a scientific machine located at Brookhaven National Laboratory that accelerates and smashes together heavy atomic nuclei, like gold atoms, at nearly the speed of light. These extreme collisions create extremely hot and dense conditions similar to those a few microseconds after the Big Bang, allowing scientists to study the fundamental properties of nuclear matter. By observing how particles behave under these conditions, researchers aim to understand how the universe evolved and the behavior of quarks and gluons—the building blocks inside atomic nuclei.