Metallic hydrogen is a phase of hydrogen that is theorized to occur under extremely high pressures. In this state, hydrogen molecules (H₂) are thought to dissociate into individual hydrogen atoms, which can then exhibit properties similar to metals, including electrical conductivity. This phenomenon is predicted to occur because at high pressures, the electron orbitals of hydrogen atoms overlap, allowing them to behave like a sea of delocalized electrons, similar to metals.
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Metallic hydrogen is a high-pressure conducting state of hydrogen. Its fluid form in the deep interiors of gas giants supplies a conducting medium for a planetary dynamo, unlike the iron-alloy conducting cores of terrestrial planets.