The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider—a powerful particle accelerator designed to probe primordial matter from the Big Bang—is cranking up for its first experiments, while scientists fend off speculation that its use may destroy the planet by creating a black hole.

Bardayan, D.W., et al. 1999. Observation of the astrophysically important 3⁺ State in ¹⁸Ne via elastic scattering of a radioactive ¹⁷F beam from ¹H. Physical Review Letters 83(July 5):45.

Mukerjee, M. 1999. A little Big Bang. Scientific American 280(March):60.

Peterson, I. 1997. Proton-go-round. Science News 152(Sept. 6):158.

______. 1996. Microcosmic bang. Science News 150(Sept. 21):190.

For more information on the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and quark-gluon plasma, go to http://www.rhic.bnl.gov.

Further information about accelerator astrophysics can be found at Physical Review Focus at http://focus.aps.org/v4/st2.html.

Satoshi Ozaki
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
Post Office Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000

From Science News, Vol. 156, No. 6, August 7, 1999, p. 95. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.