Researchers at the University of Adelaide and their overseas partners have taken a key step in making quantum batteries a reality. They have successfully proved the concept of superabsorption, a crucial idea underpinning quantum batteries.
"Quantum batteries, which use quantum mechanical principles to enhance their capabilities, require less charging time the bigger they get," said Dr. James Q. Quach, who is a Ramsay Fellow in the School of Physical Sciences and the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), at the University of Adelaide.
"It is theoretically possible that the charging power of quantum batteries increases faster than the size of the battery which could allow new ways to speed charging."
To prove the concept of superabsorption, the team—who published their findings in the journal Science Advances—built several wafer-like microcavities of different sizes which contained different numbers of organic molecules. Each was charged using a laser.
"The active layer of the microcavity contains organic semiconductor materials that store the energy. Underlying the superabsorbing effect of the quantum batteries is the idea that all the molecules act collectively through a property known as quantum superposition," said Dr. Quach.
"As the microcavity size increased and the number of molecules increased, the charging time decreased.
"This is a significant breakthrough, and marks a major milestone in the development of the quantum battery."
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