Graphene helps to finally observe Atomic Collapse

Almost 70 years ago, the Atomic Collapse (a quantum mechanical phenomenon) was predicated. Using graphene, researchers from Berkeley Lab and the University of California have imaged the theorized sates and showed that they occur around super-large atomic nuclei.

Graphene made it possible to view because of the extraordinary relativistic nature of electrons in graphene that yields a much smaller nuclear charge threshold for creating the special supercritical nuclei that will exhibit atomic collapse behavior. This is not just a a confirmation of basic relativistic quantum mechanics predictions - the researchers say this result is highly relevant for future devices.