New CERN Measurement Challenges Long-Standing Theory of Gluon Behavior in Atomic Nuclei

A University of Kansas physicist, part of the ALICE experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, played a leading role in a new study that provides the first multidimensional measurement of incoherent J/ψ photonuclear production. This research, published in Physical Review Letters, offers the clearest view yet of how gluons—the particles binding quarks together—are arranged inside atomic nuclei at high energies, allowing for experimental distinction between previously rivaling theoretical explanations.