sPHENIX at RHIC Delivers First Results, Sets Stage for Quark–Gluon Plasma Studies

Brookhaven’s sPHENIX detector at RHIC has released its first results from gold-ion collisions, confirming accurate detection of particle counts and energy levels. These measurements validate the detector’s performance and lay the groundwork for exploring quark–gluon plasma (QGP)—a primordial state of matter from the early universe. With baseline data established, sPHENIX will now track high-energy jets to investigate how quarks and gluons behave in the QGP. The upcoming 2025 run will exploit the detector’s full capabilities, offering key insights that complement high-energy studies at CERN’s LHC.