Physicists at Utrecht University have created a ‘quantum simulator,’ a model system to study theoretical prognoses for a whole new class of materials. These ‘supermaterials’ include graphene, which has a two-dimensional structure and unique characteristics. The experiments conducted in Utrecht not only confirm the theoretical physicists’ predictions, but also provided new insights. They have discovered that at higher energy levels, a simple rectangular lattice has characteristics that are normally only observed in exotic materials. The results of their research are Published in Nature Physics of 24 April 2017.