Quantum batteries could revolutionize energy storage in the future, despite what appears to be a contradiction: the larger the battery, the faster it charges. A group of scientists has proved the quantum mechanical principle of superabsorption, which underpins quantum batteries, in a proof-of-concept device for the first time.
The strange world of quantum physics is full of phenomena that appear to us to be impossible. Molecules, for example, can become so entwined that they start acting as a group, resulting in a variety of quantum effects. That includes superabsorption, which boosts a molecule’s ability to absorb light.
“Superabsorption is a quantum collective effect where transitions between the states of the molecules interfere constructively,” James Quach, corresponding author of the study, told New Atlas. “Constructive interference occurs in all kinds of waves (light, sound, waves on water), and occurs when different waves add up to give a larger effect than either wave on its own. Crucially this allows the combined molecules to absorb light more efficiently than if each molecule were acting individually.”
This phenomenon would have a clear benefit in a quantum battery. The more energy-storing molecules you have, the more effectively they can absorb that energy – in other words, the bigger the battery is, the faster it will charge.
Source: Newatlas
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