Most batteries store energy through chemical processes. Quantum batteries, in contrast, store energy in highly excited states of quantum systems. Researchers have proposed a number of different ways of implementing such batteries, and recent advances have raised hopes that they could aid the transition to more sustainable energy sources. However, they come with several challenges, including finding easy ways to release the energy and maintaining the correct level of stored energy.
Researchers from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Korea, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Insubria, Italy, have now shown that quantum batteries based on micromasers could help overcome some of these challenges. Micromasers consist of a stream of atoms that interact with the electromagnetic field inside an optical cavity. The energy in the cavity increases with successive interactions until it plateaus at a certain level, charging the battery.
To read more, click here.