The Science, Story, and Global Significance of the Electron-Ion Collider

July 7, 2026

Most of the mass in the visible universe originates not from atoms, but from gluons — the force-carriers that bind quarks inside protons and neutrons. Gluons also appear to play a key role in generating a fundamental quantum property of these particles: spin. Despite decades of experiments around the world gluons remain poorly understood. The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), now under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory, will change that. By colliding beams of electrons with protons and atomic nuclei, the EIC will produce the first detailed maps of how gluons and quarks are distributed inside matter, revealing where mass, spin, and the strong nuclear force truly come from.