The Electron-Ion Collider

The Electron-Ion Collider is a proposed machine for delving deeper than ever before into the building blocks of matter, so that we may better understand the matter within us and its role in the universe around us.

about

Probing Matter with an Electron-Ion Collider.
An Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) would open a new window through which we can study and understand the matter.

Everything that we can see in our vast universe is made up of atoms, with protons and neutrons at their core. Protons and neutrons form the nuclei of atoms, which make up the bulk of the mass of everything we see in the universe today, from stars to planets to people. 

Compared to the complexity that we observe in our world, protons and neutrons may seem like simple objects, but they aren’t. Inside them is a teeming microcosm of quarks and glue-like gluons whose ethereal interactions help establish their essential properties. And while we know the fundamental constituents of protons and neutrons are quarks and gluons, we know little about how these tiniest building blocks are arranged and interact.

To probe the intricacies of these inner microcosms, nuclear physicists hope to build an Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) —a machine that will open a new window through which we can study and understand the matter within us and its role in the universe around us.

goals

An Electron-Ion Collider will be a first-of-its-kind research machine. Building it will push the limits of our knowledge of accelerator science, particle detector design, high-performance computing and more. All of this effort will enable research into these topics and potentially others we have yet to discover.

Precision 3D imaging of protons and nuclei
Precision 3D imaging of protons and nuclei
An Electron-Ion Collider will take three-dimensional precision snapshots of the internal structure of protons and atomic nuclei.
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Solving the Mystery of Proton Spin
Solving the Mystery of Proton Spin
An EIC will reveal how the teeming quarks and gluons inside the proton combine their spins to generate the proton’s overall spin.
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Search for Saturation
Search for Saturation
A unique form of matter, the color glass condensate, may be produced for study for the first time by an EIC, providing deeper insight into gluons and their interactions.
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Quark and Gluon Confinement
Quark and Gluon Confinement
Experiments at an EIC will cast fresh light on the mystery of why quarks or gluons can never be observed in isolation but must remain confined within protons and nuclei.
goals
The Electron-Ion Collider will be a novel tool for exploring matter’s inner world, providing the ultimate picture of protons and nuclei at their deepest level.