Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, working with the STAR Collaboration, have published groundbreaking findings in Nature revealing a link between the quantum vacuum and the emergence of visible matter. Analyzing data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), researchers demonstrated that energetic particle collisions can transform fleeting “virtual” particles—born from fluctuating energy fields—into detectable, real particles. The research centers on a significant correlation in particle spins observed following proton-proton collisions at RHIC, directly connecting them to the alignment of virtual quark-antiquark pairs. “This work gives us a unique window into the quantum vacuum that may open a new era in our understanding of how visible matter forms and how its fundamental properties emerge,” said Zhoudunming (Kong) Tu, a STAR physicist at Brookhaven and co-leader of the study.
RHIC Collisions Reveal Quantum Vacuum Particle Origins
Scientists at the U.S. This research, published in Nature, provides a novel avenue for investigating how “empty” space contributes to the formation of the matter constituting our world. RHIC’s energetic collisions, physicists explain, provide the necessary energy to elevate these virtual particles to a detectable, real state. For roughly a century, physicists have understood the vacuum isn’t truly empty, but rather a dynamic arena filled with fluctuating energy fields constantly birthing and annihilating entangled particle-antiparticle pairs. The team focused on lambda hyperons and their antimatter counterparts, antilambdas, ideal for spin studies due to their decay patterns which reveal spin direction via emitted protons or antiprotons. Crucially, lambdas possess a “strange quark” component allowing scientists to trace their origin back to the quantum vacuum. Strange quark/antiquark pairs are always spin-aligned, offering a clear signature for identification. Jan Vanek, a physicist at the University of New Hampshire who led the data analysis, explained the challenge: “Normally, in a RHIC collision, the spins of the vast majority of particles that come out are randomly oriented. We are looking for a very tiny difference from all those other particles to find lambda/antilambdas where their spins are correlated.”
After meticulously analyzing data from millions of collisions, the STAR team discovered a remarkable result: when lambdas and antilambdas emerged in close proximity, they exhibited 100% spin alignment – mirroring the alignment of the virtual quark/antiquark pairs. This confirms the hypothesis that the quarks within these particles originated as a single, entangled pair within the vacuum. “It’s as if these particle pairs start out as quantum twins. When they’re generated close together, the lambdas retain the spin alignment of the virtual strange quarks from which they were born,” Vanek noted. Tu emphasized the breakthrough: “This is the first time we’ve been able to see directly that the quarks that make up these particles are coming from the vacuum; it’s a direct window into the quantum vacuum fluctuations.”
The research suggests a potential entanglement between the newly formed lambda/antilambda pairs, with properties remaining linked even when separated, though this connection weakens with increased distance. “We need further measurements to see if this is a mix of entangled states or a more classically correlated system,” Vanek added. This quantum linkage has implications for quantum information science and technologies, as Tu explained, “The problem, at its core, could impact other parallel technology developments that require us to study this quantum to classical transition because, at the end of the day, the physics is the same.” The future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) at Brookhaven will provide even more precise tools to further unravel the connection between the quantum vacuum and the mass of the universe.
STAR Detector Measures Lambda-Antilambda Spin Alignment
This discovery, published in Nature, offers a novel pathway to investigate the origins of visible matter and its fundamental properties. The team’s meticulous analysis focused on lambda particles, chosen for their unique characteristic: the direction of their spin can be determined by observing the decay path of protons or antiprotons they emit. The experiment examined millions of proton-proton collision events, carefully filtering out potential biases and false signals to isolate the spin correlations.
Interestingly, this spin correlation diminishes as the lambda/antilambda pairs move further apart following the collision. “It could be that these twins sent farther away from each other are more affected by other things in their environment — interactions with other quarks, for example — that cause them to behave differently and lose their connection,” Vanek speculated. Researchers hope future measurements will clarify whether this represents a breakdown of entanglement or a transition to a more classical correlation. This breakthrough isn’t merely an observation of a quantum phenomenon; it’s a potential key to understanding the transition from quantum to classical states, with implications for quantum information science.
100% Spin Correlation Confirms Virtual Quark Linkage
This isn’t simply confirmation of existing theory, but a direct observation of virtual particles – fleeting blips of existence predicted by quantum mechanics – influencing the properties of real, detectable matter. The findings, published in Nature, detail how energetic collisions at RHIC are effectively “realizing” particles born from the seemingly empty void. The significance lies in the fact that these lambdas aren’t randomly oriented; when produced in pairs close together following a collision, their spins are perfectly aligned.
Lambdas, possessing a “strange quark” component, act as tracers, allowing scientists to retrace the spin state of their constituent particles back to this primordial source. This observation goes beyond simply proving the existence of virtual particles; it demonstrates a transfer of quantum information from the vacuum into the newly created matter. The team scrutinized data from millions of proton-proton collision events, rigorously eliminating potential biases to ensure the validity of the 100% correlation.
This is the first time we’ve been able to see directly that the quarks that make up these particles are coming from the vacuum; it’s a direct window into the quantum vacuum fluctuations.
Entangled Quark Pairs and Emergent Matter Properties
Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is yielding surprising insights into the very fabric of reality, revealing a connection between fleeting quantum phenomena and the stable matter we observe daily. Scientists have demonstrated that particles created in RHIC’s high-energy collisions retain a crucial characteristic of the virtual particles existing within the quantum vacuum – specifically, a correlation in their spin. This finding, published in Nature, isn’t merely a confirmation of theoretical physics; it’s a potential gateway to understanding how “nothingness” gives rise to the building blocks of our world.
These particles are particularly useful because the direction of a lambda’s spin can be inferred from the decay products of protons or antiprotons. Crucially, lambdas contain a “strange quark” component, allowing physicists to trace their origins. The team meticulously analyzed data from millions of collision events, eliminating potential biases to reveal a remarkable pattern. These virtual particles exist for incredibly short durations, insufficient to be directly detected. However, RHIC’s energetic collisions provide the necessary boost to transform these ephemeral entities into real, measurable particles.
As the distance between the lambda/antilambda pairs increased following the collision, the spin correlation diminished, hinting at external interactions disrupting the initial entanglement. The implications extend beyond fundamental physics, potentially impacting quantum information science and related technologies.
This work gives us a unique window into the quantum vacuum that may open a new era in our understanding of how visible matter forms and how its fundamental properties emerge.
Zhoudunming (Kong) Tu, a STAR physicist at Brookhaven and co-leader of the study
