Strangeness Enhancement

Strangeness enhancement refers to the increased production of particles containing strange quarks in high-energy nuclear collisions, such as those involving heavy ions. In simpler terms, when atomic nuclei collide at very high speeds, they create extreme conditions similar to those just after the Big Bang. Under these conditions, particles with strange quarks are produced more frequently than in simpler collisions, indicating the formation of a new state of matter called quark-gluon plasma. This phenomenon helps scientists understand how matter behaves under such extraordinary conditions and offers insights into the fundamental structure of the universe.