Researchers Achieve Breakthrough in Graphene-Based Artificial Atoms
Researchers have achieved orbital hybridization in graphene-based artificial atoms for the first time.
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A research team led by Professor Sun Qing-Feng in colloboration with Professor He Lin’s research group from Beijing Normal University has achieved orbital hybridization in graphene-based artificial atoms for the first time. Their findings, entitled “Orbital hybridization in graphene-based artificial atoms” was published in Nature.
This work marks a significant milestone in the field of quantum physics and materials science, bridging the gap between artificial and real atomic behaviors.
Why it matters
- Quantum dots, often called artificial atoms, can mimic atomic orbitals but have not yet been used to simulate orbital hybridization, a crucial process in real atoms.
- While quantum dots have successfully demonstrated artificial bonding and antibonding states, their ability to replicate orbital hybridization remained unexplored.
- A fundamental understanding of how anisotropic confinement affects hybridization in quantum dots was lacking.
The authors developed a theoretical framework and experimental approach to achieve orbital hybridization in graphene-based quantum dots.
They proposed that anisotropic potentials in artificial atoms could induce hybridization between confined states of different orbitals, such as the s orbital (orbital quantum number 0) and the d orbital (orbital quantum number 2).
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By deforming the circular potential of graphene quantum dots into an elliptical potential, the team successfully induced orbital hybridization, resulting in two hybridized states with distinct shapes (θ shape and rotated θ shape).
The experimental results, obtained by probing confined states in various quantum dots, confirmed the theoretical predictions, demonstrating the recombination of atomic collapse states (a quantum electrodynamics phenomenon) and whispering gallery modes (an acoustic phenomenon).
Key Findings:
- Orbital hybridization in artificial atoms was achieved for the first time, with hybridized states showing energy splitting as anisotropy increased.
- This breakthrough provides a new platform for simulating real atomic processes, with potential applications in quantum computing and nanoelectronics.
Reference: Mao Y, Ren HY, Zhou XF, et al. Orbital hybridization in graphene-based artificial atoms. Nature. 2025;639(8053):73-78. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-08620-z
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