Observation of deuteron and antideuteron formation from resonance-decay nucleons

The ALICE collaboration

doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09775-5

Observation of deuteron and antideuteron formation from resonance-decay nucleons

The ALICE collaboration

Physics Education

National Institute for Nuclear Physics
University of Brescia
Central China Normal University
GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research
University of Science and Technology of China
University of Copenhagen
China National Nuclear Corporation
CERN
Fudan University
Université Clermont Auvergne
Université Paris-Saclay
Heidelberg University
Czech Academy of Sciences
University of Bergen
Chungbuk National University
Inha University
Pusan National University
University of California at Berkeley
Hiroshima University
Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre India
University of Bonn
University of Texas at Austin
University of Münster

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

High-energy hadronic collisions generate environments characterized by temperatures above 100 MeV (refs. ^1,2), about 100,000 times hotter than the centre of the Sun. At present, it is therefore unclear how light (anti)nuclei with mass number A of a few units, such as the deuteron, ³He or ⁴He, each bound by only a few MeV, can emerge from these collisions^3,4. Here, the ALICE Collaboration reports that deuteron–pion momentum correlations in proton–proton (pp) collisions provide model-independent evidence that about 90% of the observed (anti)deuterons are produced in nuclear reactions⁵ following the decay of short-lived resonances, such as the Δ(1232). These findings, obtained by the ALICE Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider, resolve a gap in our understanding of nucleosynthesis in ultrarelativistic hadronic collisions. Apart from offering insights on how (anti)nuclei are formed in hadronic collisions, the results can be used in the modelling of the production of light and heavy nuclei in cosmic rays⁶ and dark-matter decays^7,8.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	306-311
Number of pages	6
Journal	Nature
Volume	648
Issue number	8093
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09775-5
State	Published - 2025.12.11

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10.1038/s41586-025-09775-5

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@article{c0137cecd27d40f9b2da53a2baa8627e,

title = "Observation of deuteron and antideuteron formation from resonance-decay nucleons",

abstract = "High-energy hadronic collisions generate environments characterized by temperatures above 100 MeV (refs. 1,2), about 100,000 times hotter than the centre of the Sun. At present, it is therefore unclear how light (anti)nuclei with mass number A of a few units, such as the deuteron, 3He or 4He, each bound by only a few MeV, can emerge from these collisions3,4. Here, the ALICE Collaboration reports that deuteron–pion momentum correlations in proton–proton (pp) collisions provide model-independent evidence that about 90\% of the observed (anti)deuterons are produced in nuclear reactions5 following the decay of short-lived resonances, such as the Δ(1232). These findings, obtained by the ALICE Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider, resolve a gap in our understanding of nucleosynthesis in ultrarelativistic hadronic collisions. Apart from offering insights on how (anti)nuclei are formed in hadronic collisions, the results can be used in the modelling of the production of light and heavy nuclei in cosmic rays6 and dark-matter decays7,8.",

author = "\{The ALICE collaboration\} and N. Zurlo and Zugravel, \{S. C.\} and Y. Zhu and S. Zhu and J. Zhu and Y. Zhou and D. Zhou and Y. Zhi and V. Zherebchevskii and M. Zhao and Z. Zhang and Y. Zhang and X. Zhang and S. Zhang and M. Zhang and M. Zhang and L. Zhang and C. Zhang and B. Zhang and M. Zhalov and P. Z{\'a}vada and N. Zardoshti and F. Zanone and C. Zampolli and V. Zaccolo and A. Yuncu and S. Yuan and H. Yu and Yoon, \{J. H.\} and Yoo, \{I. K.\} and Z. Yin and J. Yi and Yeats, \{E. R.\} and S. Yano and S. Yang and S. Yang and Y. Yamaguchi and Yadav, \{A. K.\} and A. Yadav and R. Xu and Z. Xiong and K. Xiong and Y. Wu and W. Wu and Wright, \{J. R.\} and M. Winn and B. Windelband and Willems, \{G. A.\} and J. Wilkinson and Kim, \{E. J.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025.",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

day = "11",

doi = "10.1038/s41586-025-09775-5",

language = "English",

volume = "648",

pages = "306--311",

journal = "Nature",

issn = "0028-0836",

number = "8093",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Observation of deuteron and antideuteron formation from resonance-decay nucleons

AU - The ALICE collaboration

AU - Zurlo, N.

AU - Zugravel, S. C.

AU - Zhu, Y.

AU - Zhu, S.

AU - Zhu, J.

AU - Zhou, Y.

AU - Zhou, D.

AU - Zhi, Y.

AU - Zherebchevskii, V.

AU - Zhao, M.

AU - Zhang, Z.

AU - Zhang, Y.

AU - Zhang, X.

AU - Zhang, S.

AU - Zhang, M.

AU - Zhang, L.

AU - Zhang, C.

AU - Zhang, B.

AU - Zhalov, M.

AU - Závada, P.

AU - Zardoshti, N.

AU - Zanone, F.

AU - Zampolli, C.

AU - Zaccolo, V.

AU - Yuncu, A.

AU - Yuan, S.

AU - Yu, H.

AU - Yoon, J. H.

AU - Yoo, I. K.

AU - Yin, Z.

AU - Yi, J.

AU - Yeats, E. R.

AU - Yano, S.

AU - Yang, S.

AU - Yamaguchi, Y.

AU - Yadav, A. K.

AU - Yadav, A.

AU - Xu, R.

AU - Xiong, Z.

AU - Xiong, K.

AU - Wu, Y.

AU - Wu, W.

AU - Wright, J. R.

AU - Winn, M.

AU - Windelband, B.

AU - Willems, G. A.

AU - Wilkinson, J.

AU - Kim, E. J.

PY - 2025/12/11

Y1 - 2025/12/11

N2 - High-energy hadronic collisions generate environments characterized by temperatures above 100 MeV (refs. 1,2), about 100,000 times hotter than the centre of the Sun. At present, it is therefore unclear how light (anti)nuclei with mass number A of a few units, such as the deuteron, 3He or 4He, each bound by only a few MeV, can emerge from these collisions3,4. Here, the ALICE Collaboration reports that deuteron–pion momentum correlations in proton–proton (pp) collisions provide model-independent evidence that about 90% of the observed (anti)deuterons are produced in nuclear reactions5 following the decay of short-lived resonances, such as the Δ(1232). These findings, obtained by the ALICE Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider, resolve a gap in our understanding of nucleosynthesis in ultrarelativistic hadronic collisions. Apart from offering insights on how (anti)nuclei are formed in hadronic collisions, the results can be used in the modelling of the production of light and heavy nuclei in cosmic rays6 and dark-matter decays7,8.

AB - High-energy hadronic collisions generate environments characterized by temperatures above 100 MeV (refs. 1,2), about 100,000 times hotter than the centre of the Sun. At present, it is therefore unclear how light (anti)nuclei with mass number A of a few units, such as the deuteron, 3He or 4He, each bound by only a few MeV, can emerge from these collisions3,4. Here, the ALICE Collaboration reports that deuteron–pion momentum correlations in proton–proton (pp) collisions provide model-independent evidence that about 90% of the observed (anti)deuterons are produced in nuclear reactions5 following the decay of short-lived resonances, such as the Δ(1232). These findings, obtained by the ALICE Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider, resolve a gap in our understanding of nucleosynthesis in ultrarelativistic hadronic collisions. Apart from offering insights on how (anti)nuclei are formed in hadronic collisions, the results can be used in the modelling of the production of light and heavy nuclei in cosmic rays6 and dark-matter decays7,8.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024620989

U2 - 10.1038/s41586-025-09775-5

DO - 10.1038/s41586-025-09775-5

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 41372642

AN - SCOPUS:105024620989

SN - 0028-0836

VL - 648

SP - 306

EP - 311

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

IS - 8093

ER -

Observation of deuteron and antideuteron formation from resonance-decay nucleons

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