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UA scientist aids in possible discovery of new matter

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, announced last month that a new state of matter may have been discovered in which individual quarks roam free.

Johann Rafelski, a University of Arizona physics professor, is an important contributor to this discovery. His work in 1982 at the University of Frankfurt in Germany laid the theoretical foundations for the experiment to take place.

Rafelski is considered a pioneer in the field, and developed a theoretical model of what the new state of matter may look like, which allowed scientists to look for it.

In this matter, quarks, instead of being bound into more complex particles such as protons and neutrons, are liberated.

"Johann Rafelski has been one of the pioneers in this field and he did a lot of the theoretical work many, many years ago establishing the importance of such a state of matter," said Fulvio Melia, UA physics department associate head. "Clearly it's viewed as being important among theoretical physicists."

However, Rafelski said this is not an individual effort.

"Technology is rather well-advanced these days, and I now, amazingly so, have contact with the rest of the world," Rafelski said.

This research seeks to provide a more complete view of the universe about 30 microseconds after the big bang.

In order to achieve this, physicists have been using particle accelerators to collide heavy ions together to create an environment similar to that of the early universe.

The collision of these ions allows immense energy densities to break down confined quarks inside more complex particles.

"This is a very important discovery," Rafelski said. "We are one step closer to understanding atomic nuclei and quarks."

However, the research of this new matter at present has no clear applications other than offering greater understandings to scientists.

"This just shows that one must have the drive to discover irrespective of the use of the discovery," Rafelski added.

Rafelski joined the University of Arizona 13 years ago, but he began his research in this area more than 20 years ago. As Rafelski pointed out, however, many of his major contributions to science have come during his time at the UA.

Rafelski's research is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, which is constructing what will be the most powerful particle accelerator in the world.

This new accelerator will take the discovery of new matter further and was built for the purpose of discovery in this field, Rafelski said.

As with any scientific experiment, it is necessary to re-test this discovery of a new state of matter.

"The validation of discovery is not something that occurs overnight," Rafelski said.

Another new accelerator is being built in Switzerland that will be 30 times more powerful than the one being built by the Department of Energy.

There are almost 1,500 experimentalists and 300 theorists working on the possible discovery of this new matter.

Rafelski said although the nearly $1 billion spent for the Department of Energy's accelerator seems impressive, it is actually quite small given the number of scientists working on the project.

Rafelski plans to continue his work and said he believes that great new discoveries will be made when these new accelerators are operational.