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Quark-gluon plasma is a state of matter under extreme temperature at extreme density, consisting of just quarks and gluons, i.e., they are not grouped such as to form baryons, mesons, etc. The state is possible in theory, and there is evidence that particle accelerators have created it (in very small amounts for a very short time). According to the theories, over some interval of time in the early universe, conditions were be right to maintain it and the universe was filled with it. As the universe expanded, it cooled to the point that it changed state into something closer to ordinary matter.