electron-ion collision (IMAGE) DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory Caption In an Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) collision, interactions between a virtual photon emitted by the colliding electron can reveal the arrangement of quarks and gluons within a hadron -- in this case a proton that is part of a larger nucleus. Credit Tiffany Bowman/Brookhaven National Laboratory Usage Restrictions OK for use in stories about this research License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.