To make sense of cosmic rays, CERN team tracks a fragile nucleus

Recent research by a team at CERN has shed light on the survival of deuterons, a type of light nucleus, during high-energy particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Understanding how these deuterons behave in such extreme conditions is crucial for predicting the formation of light nuclei in cosmic phenomena, particularly during interactions involving cosmic rays striking interstellar gas. Scientists emphasize that deciphering the mechanisms behind these formations will help distinguish between possible and forbidden processes in nature, thus enhancing our comprehension of cosmic ray interactions. This knowledge is not only fundamental to astrophysics but also to our understanding of the universe's evolution and the behavior of matter under extreme conditions. The findings from CERN could have broader implications for both theoretical and applied physics, paving the way for new insights into the fundamental forces at play in the cosmos.