SMRTR Science & EngineeringApr 9, 2026Interesting Engineering

World-first: Scientists observe particles emerging from nothing in collider

SMRTR summary

Scientists at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider achieved a world-first by directly observing particles emerging from empty space during high-energy proton collisions, confirming quantum chromodynamics predictions that vacuum contains fluctuating virtual particles. Researchers detected rare quark-antiquark pairs created from vacuum itself by tracking their correlated spins as they formed hyperons before decaying. This breakthrough provides the clearest evidence that matter can materialize from seemingly empty space and offers new insights into how particles acquire mass.

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