So if you have turned a lead atom into gold, how do you know? In the ALICE experiment, they use special detectors called zero-degree calorimeters to count the protons stripped out of the lead nuclei.

The only difference between a lead atom and a gold atom is three protons. Lead has 82, gold has 79. So, in theory, stripping three protons from a lead nucleus should result in gold.

A lead nucleus emits an intense electromagnetic field. In near-misses, a reaction known as electromagnetic dissociation can occur. The lead atom's nucleus vibrates and ejects three of its protons ...

So if you have turned a lead atom into gold, how do you know? In the ALICE experiment, they use special detectors called zero-degree calorimeters to count the protons stripped out of the lead nuclei.

When two lead ions narrowly miss a head-on collision inside the LHC, their intense electromagnetic fields interact. In some of these near-misses, the collision creates a pulse of energy that ...

So if you have turned a lead atom into gold, how do you know? In the ALICE experiment, they use special detectors called zero-degree calorimeters to count the protons stripped out of the lead nuclei.