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3d ago

CERN Physicists Achieve Lead-to-Gold Transmutation in Groundbreaking Experiment

Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider have quantified the fleeting creation of gold nuclei during heavy-ion collisions, advancing nuclear reaction models and particle accelerator design.

An image of the tunnel inside a large hadron collider.
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Overview

  • The ALICE collaboration at CERN confirmed the creation of 86 billion gold nuclei during LHC Run 2 (2015–2018), as published in *Physical Review C* on May 7, 2025.
  • Gold nuclei were produced via near-miss electromagnetic dissociation, where high-speed lead ions eject three protons, converting lead into gold.
  • The produced gold nuclei existed for only about one microsecond before disintegrating, with the total amount equivalent to 29 trillionths of a gram.
  • ALICE’s Zero Degree Calorimeters (ZDCs) enabled precise detection and quantification of ejected protons and neutrons, marking a first in systematic experimental analysis of this phenomenon.
  • While the findings refine nuclear dissociation models and inform future accelerator designs, the process remains impractical for gold production due to its extreme energy demands and minimal yields.