Conversion of electric current into heat involves microscopic processes that operate on nanometer length-scales and release minute amounts of power. While central to our understanding of the electrical properties of materials, individual mediators of energy dissipation have so far eluded direct observation. Using scanning nano-thermometry with sub-micro K sensitivity we visualize and control phonon emission from individual atomic defects in graphene. The inferred electron-phonon cooling power spectrum exhibits sharp peaks when the Fermi level comes into resonance with electronic quasi-bound states at such defects, a hitherto uncharted process. Rare in the bulk but abundant at graphenes edges, switchable atomic-scale phonon emitters define the dominant dissipation mechanism. Our work offers new insights for addressing key materials challenges in modern electronics and engineering dissipation at the nanoscale.
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