Quark Gluon Plasma

Matter is malleable and can change its properties with temperature.  This is most familiar when comparing ice, liquid water and steam, which are all different forms of the same thing.  However beyond the usual states of matter, physicists can explore other states, both much colder and hotter.  In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln explains the hottest known state of matter – a state that is so hot that protons and neutrons from the center of atoms can literally melt.  This form of matter is called a quark gluon plasma and it is an important research topic being pursued at the LHC.