First state of matter
- Who
- Quark gluon plasma
- What
- First
- Where
- Not Applicable (Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider,New York)
- When
- 01 January 0001
The subatomic particles in a quark gluon plasma existed for less than 10-20 seconds in the aftermath of a collision between two ions of gold travelling close to the speed of light in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, New York, USA. Quark gluon plasma is believed to have existed in the very early stages of the Universe, just a few microseconds after the Big Bang. In 2005, it was announced that this exotic form of matter has properties more similar to those of a liquid than a gas. The first conventional atoms of matter did not form until around 400,000 years after the Big Bang.