Quantum battery technology is approaching an inflection point similar to the one quantum computing crossed a decade or so ago, escalating it from a theoretical curiosity to an engineering challenge worth solving.
Quantum batteries exploit the strange physical laws of the very small the quantum world to gain performance advantages over classical batteries. Recent research on charging speed advantages and loss-free storage suggests this technology is poised for growth over the next three to five years.
The quantum world is probabilistic rather than deterministic, and that applies to quantum batteries as well as quantum computers. If, for example, an energy-storage unit exhibits either a ground state or an excited state in the classical world, it acts instead as a smearing of both in the quantum world, which can be described with probability functions.
Similarly, the likelihood that the same unit transitions between states also can be defined with a probability function. This function is known as a transition amplitude, and it is key to explaining why quantum batteries offer the advantages they do.
An Australian-Italian-UK research group published a paper in the journal Science Advances this year about photosensitive dye molecules, known as Lumogen-F Orange, which can be used as storage units. The researchers confined these units, in groups of varying sizes, in an optical microcavity a quantum battery prototype and measured the rate at which photons were able to excite the various groups.
I saw the potential in what (quantum batteries) could do if someone could realize this in a lab, said James Quach, who conceived and managed the project. I wanted to take it from the blackboard out into the laboratory.
Acting as quantum units, each dye molecule had its own transition amplitude describing the probability it would transition from a ground state to an excited state.
Superextensive ChargingThe magic of quantum batteries emerged when the dye molecules transition amplitudes were allowed to interfere with each other.
The way that quantum batteries work is that these transition amplitudes, when you put them in a coherent state, interfere with each other very much in the way that waves interfere with each other, and produce crests when they constructively interfere and troughs when theyre destructive, said Quach. Through this constructive interference, the combined transition amplitude of the whole system was greater than the sum of the individual parts if they werent acting as one.
In contrast, the fastest way to deliver energy into a battery in the classical world is through a parallel charging configuration, where every cell is charged simultaneously. The batterys charging speed, in this setup, is limited by how fast a single cell can charge.
What Quachs team found in their quantum demonstration was that the interference allowed the battery as a whole to charge faster than a classical parallel setup. Even better, they found charging speed to be superextensive, meaning it increased as more and more dye molecules storage units were added to the battery.
The microcavity setup physically demonstrated, for the first time, superextensive energy absorption superabsorption a phenomenon that Quach says can benefit everything from small-scale consumer electronics to electric vehicles and grid-scale storage systems.
Hurdles and boundsJust where the limits of this superextensive speed lie has been the subject of interest of Juyeon Kim at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Daejeon, Korea. Last year, Kim and fellow researchers Dominik Safranek and Dario Rosa published a paper in Physical Review Letters quantifying the bounds of the quantum charging advantage the ratio of quantum charging speed versus classical charging speed.
I wanted to make a very tight bound for the expected power for the general case, said Kim. In classical batteries, the power increases with the number of cells in parallel. But in quantum batteries, we can make the power increase with the square of the number of cells.
In practice, however, Quachs team found their batterys charging speed could only scale with the square root of N, a difference that warrants a deeper look into the implementation options for quantum batteries.
The charging advantages of these devices arise from an effect known as collective charging, where a batterys units genuinely share the batterys power source in a way, communicate with each other instead of the every-cell-for-itself strategy of classical batteries.
Collective charging is kind of a shortcut, said Kim. We can separate the cells (in a classical setup) and theres no other effect. But in the quantum battery, we cannot separate the cells if we want the quantum advantage, if we want collective charging.
Quantum batteries can leverage one of two quantum phenomena to implement collective charging quantum entanglement or quantum coherence.
Quantum entanglement, which Albert Einstein dubbed spooky action at a distance, existentially links particles together, allowing them to behave as a single unit despite physical separation. Although Kims team focused on entanglement in their paper in quantifying quantum advantage, they also acknowledged its fragility.
Entanglement is very easily broken down by the environment and notoriously difficult to maintain, said Kim. Quantum computers, for example, tend to operate at temperatures near absolute zero in pursuit of entanglement longevity.
Quach, for this reason, saw more practicality down the coherence route, even if it offered less of a quantum advantage. While quantum coherence also is susceptible to collapse, it maintains stability better than entanglement, even at room temperatures.
Furthermore, in addition to superabsorption, the optical cavity prototype demonstrated that decoherence, if applied judiciously to a quantum battery, can help control its storage and discharge phases. Or put in perspective, a little bit of a bad thing actually might be good.
If I charge the battery very quickly, because quantum mechanics is time-symmetric, it should discharge very quickly, explained Quach. But decoherence makes this asymmetric, which means you can charge it quickly, but then it will discharge very slowly with decoherence.
Loss-free storageScientists from the University of Alberta, in partnership with the University of Toronto, published research in 2019 that detailed such symmetry-breaking perturbations and how quantum batteries might use them to enter dark states and achieve loss-free energy storage.
The use of symmetry-protected dark states effectively decouples the battery from its environments, making it possible to perfectly store the excitation energy, stated the Journal of Physical Chemistry C paper. In contrast to conventional electrochemical batteries, the charged excitonic quantum battery does not discharge over time in the presence of environments, a remarkable feature stemming from the quantum nature of the system.
The research studied, as its quantum battery prototype, a para-benzene-like structure that accumulated excitons, and subjected the structure to numerical simulations that demonstrated immunity to environmentally-induced losses.
A possible inflectionThe loss-free paper, one of the first to explore quantum batteries in a dissipative environment, and the real-world optical cavity demonstration, may herald a shift in how researchers approach the technology.
Traditionally, because this was always the simplest way out, most of the works that dealt with quantum batteries initially dealt with isolated quantum systems, meaning subsystems that did not interact with the environment, said Juzar Thingna, quantum thermodynamics researcher at the University of Massachusetts. The goal was rather simplistic.
Dissipative environments, however, represent real situations much more than those idealistic situations where the quantum system were fully isolated, Thingna said. The change in focus toward how these devices will interact with their parent systems suggests the field is moving closer to reality.
Another cause for shift, said Quach, is recognizing that the problems facing quantum batteries differ from those facing quantum computers, and how this recognition may help fast track quantum batteries to commercial applications.
Any sort of decoherence in quantum computing [ruins it], he said. It just doesnt work. And thats the challenge (for quantum computing). But decoherence is a good thing for quantum batteries and, because of this, the big hurdle for quantum computing doesnt apply for quantum batteries. In a sense, it is much easier than quantum computing, but it has started a lot later.
ApplicationsSo why go quantum? asked Thingna. If a classical battery is just working fine, why do I need to go quantum? Its storing energy. Its doing the job that its meant to do. Why do I need to invest $1 billion or $2 billion of funding into something that will do as good?
Certainly, batteries with charging speeds that thrive on scale and offer loss-free storage will find their place in the world.
The IBS paper on quantum charging advantage attracted a bit of media attention earlier this year, partly because it provided a laymans gateway into the promise of quantum batteries they can be used to charge electric cars much more quickly. But while the prospect of 10 hours of charging time compressed into seconds grabbed the publics attention, practical considerations, such as charger power and coherence protection, are still in the research phase for electric vehicles.
One of the first applications for quantum batteries, believes Quach, will be light harvesting, which neatly side steps the charging power constriction by way of the sun providing a pseudo-ubiquitous power source. He intends to extend his existing work with photosensitive quantum batteries by scaling them up.
The idea of superabsorption is that it should absorb better than classical absorption, and therefore we hope that it will take solar cell technology to a new level, he said. But he notes that consumer electronics and electric vehicles far behind. Given sufficient funding, consumer applications could arrive within three to five years, he said.
Thingna envisions public transport massive trains that require range and quick charging turnarounds as a prime candidate for quantum battery use. But even without the lure of rapid charging and loss-free storage, engineers must soon contend with quantum batteries. We are going to be miniaturizing things very soon, he said. We are already on that path. The problem with miniaturization is if you go too small, all your devices will hit a bottleneck and your classical laws of physics will no longer work. You cannot avoid quantum physics.
Follow this link:
What Quantum Batteries Have in Store - SemiEngineering
- Netflixs 3 Body Problem: The science explained by an astrophysicist - Vox.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Entanglement entropies of nuclear systems gro - EurekAlert - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- The Quest for a Theory of Everything Scientists Put Einstein to the Test - SciTechDaily - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Vibrating atoms are seen 'tuning' the energy of a single electron - Earth.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Innovator Spotlight: Joseph Maciejko | The Quad - University of Alberta - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- A Breakthrough in the Control of Quantum Phenomena at Room Temperature Has Been Achieved, Researchers Say - The Debrief - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- The End of the Quantum Ice Age: Room Temperature Breakthrough - SciTechDaily - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum computer outperformed by new traditional computing - Earth.com - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- URI program to help STEM professionals pivot into quantum information science careers - The University of Rhode Island - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum realm controlled at room temperature for the first time - Earth.com - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum Breakthrough: New Method Preserves Information Against All Odds - SciTechDaily - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum computers get new design that makes them more "useful" - Earth.com - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Beyond Classical Physics: Scientists Discover New State of Matter With Chiral Properties - SciTechDaily - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum research sheds light on the mystery of high-temperature superconductivity - Tech Explorist - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Unlocking the Mysteries of Quantum Many-Body Systems: A Look at Quantum Simulators and Universal Scaling ... - Medriva - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Functioning quantum internet makes giant stride closer to reality - Earth.com - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Exploring New Futures in Space: A Revolutionary Integration of Neuroscience, Quantum Physics, and Space Exploration - SETI Institute - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Uncovering the Quantum Plateau: Significance and Implications | Nature Physics - Medriva - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- The State of the Art in Quantum Computing - Medium - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Beyond the Visible Universe: New Research Reveals How Gravity Influences the Quantum Realm - SciTechDaily - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Leader of IBM's Quantum Safe Team to speak at URI - University of Rhode Island - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- University Assistant Predoctoral, Physics job with UNIVERSITY OF ... - Times Higher Education - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Zentropy A New Theory That Could Transform Material Science - SciTechDaily - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Researchers Studying the Quantum Realm Observe Alice in ... - The Debrief - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Augusta University graduate starts business in the artificial ... - Jagwire Augusta - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Quantum Echoes: A Revolutionary Method to Store Information as Sound Waves - SciTechDaily - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- 'Quantum superchemistry' observed for the 1st time ever - Space.com - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Quantum Avalanche A Phenomenon That May Revolutionize Microelectronics and Supercomputing - SciTechDaily - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Applications of quantum mechanics at the beach - Symmetry magazine - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Book Review: On the Origin of Time Stephen Hawking's Final Theory - Moose Jaw Today - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Harnessing Quantum Technologies: The Next Big Leap in Global ... - Fagen wasanni - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The quantum avalanche - At the Vienna University of Technology, it ... - Chemie.de - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Semiconductors: The Linchpin of AI in Quantum Computing - Fagen wasanni - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The Promising Collaboration Between AI and Quantum Computing - Fagen wasanni - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- String theory physicist changed quantum field theory - USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- QUANTUM SUPERCOMPUTERS. The words Quantum and ... - Medium - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Fourteen MIT School of Science professors receive tenure for 2022 ... - MIT News - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The Fascinating World of Quantum Integrated Circuits: The Next Big ... - Fagen wasanni - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Conclusive Evidence for Modified Gravity: Collapse of Newton's and ... - SciTechDaily - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Physicists Open New Path to an Exotic Form of Superconductivity - SciTechDaily - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The Principle of Least Action Now Exists in the Quantum Realm - Popular Mechanics - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Quantum materials: Electron spin measured for the first time - EurekAlert - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Life in a hologram | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT News - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- If Black Holes Evaporate, Everything Evaporates - Universe Today - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Clever Ant-Man Easter Egg Links The Movie to the Real World's ... - Startefacts - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Quantum Cryptography: The Cutting Edge of Secure Communication - CityLife - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- This 17-year-old works to make quantum mainstream - Indiatimes.com - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- The multiverse is doomed and even Spider-Man and The Flash can't save it - Yahoo Entertainment - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Physics of Time Travel: A Scientific Perspective - Mirage News - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Quantum Spin Liquids: The Future of Superconductors - EnergyPortal.eu - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Interview: Three Books That Make Tess Gunty Angry - The New York Times - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Events Calendar School of Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium ... - Carleton University - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Graphene and Quantum Computing: A Match Made in Heaven - CityLife - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- A Quantum Computer Simulation Has Reversed Time And Physics May Never Be The Same - Twisted Sifter - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Realizing the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox for Atomic Clouds - Physics - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- The US and UK team up to advance quantum information science - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- How plants can perform feats of quantum mechanics - Big Think - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Physicists Make Matter out of Light to Find Quantum Singularities - Scientific American - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Eventually everything will evaporate, not only black holes - Science Daily - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Julius-Maximillians-Universitt Wrzburg Researchers Use ... - HPCwire - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- TNTs The Lazarus Project Uses Suspense Trapping to Ask Smart ... - Roger Ebert - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Quantum Exponential: building a cutting edge quantum technology ... - The Armchair Trader - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- IMDEA Software and IMDEA Networks work to deploy in the ... - EurekAlert - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Ian Hacking, Eminent Philosopher of Science and Much Else, Dies ... - The New York Times - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Does mass increase when nearing the speed of light? - Big Think - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Answering Questions about Boring Numbers, Disasters, Fusion, and ... - Scientific American - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse | Reel World | timesnewspapers ... - Webster-Kirkwood Times, Inc. - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- There's a Secret Way to Get to Absolute Zero. Scientists Just Found It. - Popular Mechanics - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Photon Precision: How Quantum Physicists Shattered the Bounds of Sensitivity - SciTechDaily - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Do we live in a hologram? Why physics is still mesmerised by this idea - New Scientist - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Is Ultimate Truth an Equation? Nah. The Stute - The Stute - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- UChicago Lab Creates 'Quantum Casino,' a Win-Win to Educate and ... - Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Physics - Tweezers in Three Dimensions - Physics - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Brave new world: On the edge of a second quantum revolution - University of Cape Town News - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Researchers pull back the quantum curtain on 'Weyl fermions' - Phys.org - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Scale separation: Breaking down unsolvable problems into solvable ones - Phys.org - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Postdoctoral Research Associate in Quantum Optics job with ... - Times Higher Education - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Australia's first quantum strategy predicts $6 billion in revenue and ... - SmartCompany - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Nature's Quantum Secret: Link Discovered Between Photosynthesis ... - SciTechDaily - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Two ERC proof of concept grants for the University of Bonn - EurekAlert - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]