At the heart of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider).

Front view of the main particle trajectography dispositive of the ALICE experiment: the time projection chamber (TCP). When charged particles enter the gas-filled TCP by colliding with atoms, they rip off electrons which then migrate to the electrical field. By measuring the time the electrons take to arrive at the end of the chamber, the TCP allows to build a three-dimensional image of the path followed by the original charged particles. The detectors of the ALICE experiment will registered the thousands of particles produced by each miniature Big Bang. As plasma expands and cools down, experimenters will observe how it progressively gives birth to the various particles which make up matter of our universe. (Photo by Francis DEMANGE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)