JYU receives new ERC grant to shed light on gluon matter

JYU receives new ERC grant to shed light on gluon matter

Academy Researcher Heikki Mäntysaari from theDepartment of Physics at JYU uses paper, pencil and computerto investigatethe properties and interactions of elementary particle matter. It is basic research that seeks answers to fundamental questions about how the universe works and what it is made of.

"My research is situated somewhere between nuclear and particle physics," Mäntysaari says. "According to our current understanding, the atomic nucleus includes a large number of indivisible elementary particles, so-called quarks and gluons. Quarks are building blocks for protons and neutrons, and gluons are the glue that keeps them together. My research is focused on investigating the properties of these elementary particles."

Investigating gluon saturation with high energy levels

Mäntysaari's ERC project "Shining light on saturated gluons" is focused on the strong interaction between the ultimate components of matter, that is, quarks and gluons. He seeks to investigate, based on elaborate theoretical calculations and statistical analyses, whether the phenomenon called gluon saturation can be detected in current or next-generation particle accelerator experiments. At the same time, the aim is to understand the structure of protons and nuclei when they have been accelerated to very high energy levels.

"By exploring the structure of protons (hydrogen nuclei) accelerated to high energy levels in particle accelerators," Mäntysaari explains, "it has been observed that the amount of quarks and gluons grows rapidly along with increased collision energy. Gluon saturation, a target of my ERC project, refers to a phenomenon that slows down this increase in density so that eventually, as a result of these saturation phenomena, we reach a kind of new state of gluon matter, where densities are as high as is possible in nature in general."

Defining the properties of quark-gluon plasma

In addition to observing such saturation phenomena, Mäntysaari wants to find out the exact properties of saturated gluon matter. This knowledge helps us understand the quantum field theory known as quantum chromodynamics, which describes strong interactions.

"In addition, as a potential application of the results, we are developing new ways of illustrating what happens in high-energy lead-lead collisions before the elementary particle matter known as quark-gluon plasma is formed," Mäntysaari says. "On this basis, we investigate how the precise knowledge of saturation phenomena impacts the definition of the properties of quark-gluon plasma."

Cooperation with experimental researchers

Theoretical physicists such as Mäntysaari deal with theoretical calculations. His research is not a lonely effort, however, as there is close cooperation not only with other theorists but also with experimental physicists.

"Theoretical calculations are compared, for example, with measurement results from the CERN LHC accelerator," Mäntysaari says. "Moreover, we are looking carefully at how the measurements to be made with the new electron-ion collider (EIC) - which will be ready for operation in the United States in less than ten years - can be used for detailed investigation of the quantum chromodynamics of matter as well as how the measurements with LHC and EIC complement each other."

The research project is carried out in the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence for Quark Matter Research, under the hospices of the Department of Physics, University of Jyväskylä.

Further information:

• Academy Researcher Heikki Mäntysaari, [email protected], +358 40 805 3208
• European Research Council (ERC) bulletin: https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/erc-2023-consolidator-grants-results