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Story summary
- Lead ions briefly transform into gold nuclei during ultraperipheral collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, described as "modern alchemy."
- This occurs when lead ions pass close without touching, allowing high-energy photons to interact and knock out protons.
- The analysis indicates each hadronic collision likely coincides with a gold production event.
- Led by Daniel Tapia Takaki, the study refines photonuclear models and aims to improve collider designs; results appear in Physical Review C.
