60-second Science

We’re taking a field trip to the U.S.’s only particle collider, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), housed at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Staff scientist Alex Jentsch takes listeners through some basic terminology and interconnected technologies that help Brookhaven researchers probe questions about our unseen universe. The RHIC is winding down in preparation for the new Electron-Ion Collider, which could help us discover the secrets of the “glue” that holds visible matter together.  Be sure to head over to our YouTube account to see the video version of this podcast, shot on-site at Brookhaven National Laboratory! Recommended reading: Who Will Build the Next Giant Particle Collider? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/who-will-build-the-next-giant-particle-collider/  Supersymmetry Washes Out at the Large Hadron Collider https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/supersymmetrys-long-fall-from-grace/  Physicists Are Closer Than Ever to Solving the Puzzle of the Ghostly Neutrino’s Mass