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Scientists have achieved what was once deemed impossible — they bent atoms. Put more literally, they demonstrated wave-like behavior in atoms through diffraction.Using a one-atom-thick graphene sheet, the researchers recreated the phenomenon of particle diffraction, a hallmark of quantum mechanics. This achievement challenges long-standing assumptions and could revolutionize technologies like gravitational wave detectors.The breakthrough builds on George Paget Thomson's 1927 discovery that electrons passing through a crystal grating produce a diffraction pattern.While electron diffraction advanced tools like the electron microscope, replicating the effect with atoms remained elusive. High-energy atoms were thought to damage crystal gratings, rendering atomic diffraction experiments impossible.However, by directing helium and hydrogen atoms at graphene — a remarkably resilient single layer of carbon atoms — scientists recorded the first successful atomic diffraction pattern after 100 hours of exposure.This opens new doors for quantum physics, particularly in developing highly sensitive interferometers to detect gravitational waves and other subtle phenomena.learn more https://arxiv.org/pdf/2412.02360