E-Mail IMAGE: Semicentral or central collisions of lead nuclei in the LHC produce quark-gluon plasma and a cocktail with contributions of other particles. Simultaneously, clouds of photons surrounding the nuclei collide, resulting... view more Credit: Source: IFJ PAN When heavy ions, accelerated to the speed of light, collide with each other in the depths of European or American accelerators, quark-gluon plasma is formed for fractions of a second, or even its "cocktail" seasoned with other particles. According to scientists from the IFJ PAN, experimental data show that there are underestimated actors on the scene: photons. Their collisions lead to the emission of seemingly excess particles, the presence of which could not be explained.