Astrophysics & Particle Physics-APPC 2026

High-Energy Nuclear Physics deals with the research of nuclear matter under highly extreme conditions and exploring the basic interactions of protons, neutrons, and subatomic particles at high energies. It connects nuclear physics and particle physics, investigating phenomena that display the structure and behavior of matter at the smallest level.A specific area of research is heavy-ion collisions in particle colliders, like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Such experiments simulate conditions close to those immediately after the Big Bang, creating quark-gluon plasma, a phase where quarks and gluons are not confined inside nucleons.

Research into this plasma yields information about the strong nuclear force and the early development of the universe.High-energy nuclear physics also examines particle interactions, meson and baryon production, proton-proton interactions, and nuclear break-up. Experiments and observations reveal the atomic nucleus structure, forces at the fundamental level, and particles' behavior in the high-energy density conditions.Advanced detectors, spectrometers, and particle accelerators allow for accurate measurement of particles' trajectories, energies, and decay products. These tools enable physicists to verify predictions of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the Standard Model, improve nuclear matter models, and probe phenomena beyond the realm of standard nuclear theory.High-energy nuclear physics has applications in astrophysics, cosmology, and nuclear technology. Knowledge of nuclear reactions and extreme forms of matter informs stellar nucleosynthesis models, supernovae, neutron stars, and cosmic ray interactions.

It also provides innovations in medical imaging, radiation therapy, and energy production.During the combination of experimental studies, theoretical modeling, and computational simulations, high-energy nuclear physics offers profound understanding of the ultimate forces and constituents of matter. This discipline continues to advance knowledge in the universe to its most elementary level, uncovering the nature of matter in conditions that cannot be achieved in everyday surroundings.