The quantum engine compresses a gas of particles that are bosons and decompresses a gas of particles that are fermions. Credit: Mirijam Neve
Scientists reveal amazing possibilities for the advancement of highly efficient quantum devices.
Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that checks out the properties and interactions of particles at really small scale, such as atoms and particles. This has caused the development of new technologies that are more powerful and effective compared to their standard equivalents, triggering breakthroughs in locations such as communication, computing, and energy.
A Quantum Leap in Engine Design
At the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), scientists at the Quantum Systems Unit have worked together with researchers from the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau and the University of Stuttgart to design and construct an engine that is based upon the unique rules that particles follow at really little scales.
By Okinawa Institute of Science and Innovation (OIST) Graduate University
October 1, 2023
They have established an engine that utilizes the principles of quantum mechanics to develop power, instead of the usual way of burning fuel. The paper describing these outcomes is co-authored by OIST researchers Keerthy Menon, Dr. Eloisa Cuestas, Dr. Thomas Fogarty, and Prof. Thomas Busch and has been released in the journal Nature.
Comparing Classical and Quantum Engines
In a normal classical vehicle engine, a mixture of fuel and air is fired up inside a chamber. The resulting explosion heats the gas in the chamber, which in turn presses a piston in and out, producing work that turns the wheels of the vehicle.
In their quantum engine, the researchers have replaced making use of heat with a modification in the quantum nature of the particles in the gas. To understand how this modification can power the engine, we need to know that all particles in nature can be categorized as either fermions or bosons, based on their unique quantum attributes.
At really low temperature levels, where quantum effects become crucial, bosons have a lower energy state than fermions, and this energy distinction can be used to power an engine. Instead of heating and cooling a gas cyclically like a classical engine does, the quantum engine works by changing bosons into fermions and back once again.
” To turn fermions into bosons, you can take two fermions and integrate them into a particle. This brand-new molecule is a boson. Breaking it up allows us to retrieve the fermions once again. By doing this cyclically, we can power the engine without using heat,” Prof. Thomas Busch, leader of the Quantum Systems Unit discussed.
Performance and Potential of the Quantum Engine
While this type of engine just works in the quantum regime, the team found that its performance is quite high and can rise to 25% with today speculative set up constructed by the partners in Germany.
This new engine is an exciting development in the field of quantum mechanics and has the prospective to lead to more advances in the blossoming area of quantum innovations. But does this mean we will quickly see quantum mechanics powering the engines of our cars? “While these systems can be extremely efficient, we have actually just done a proof-of-concept together with our speculative partners,” explained Keerthy Menon. “There are still numerous difficulties in constructing a helpful quantum engine.”
Heat can damage the quantum results if the temperature gets too high, so scientists must keep their system as cold as possible. However, this needs a considerable quantity of energy to run the experiment at these low temperatures in order to secure the delicate quantum state.
The next steps in the research will include resolving fundamental theoretical questions about the systems operation, enhancing its performance, and examining its prospective applicability to other commonly used devices, such as batteries and sensing units.
Recommendation: “A quantum engine in the BEC– BCS crossover” by Jennifer Koch, Keerthy Menon, Eloisa Cuestas, Sian Barbosa, Eric Lutz, Thomás Fogarty, Thomas Busch and Artur Widera, 27 September 2023, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-023-06469-8.
” To turn fermions into bosons, you can take 2 fermions and integrate them into a molecule. By doing this cyclically, we can power the engine without utilizing heat,” Prof. Thomas Busch, leader of the Quantum Systems Unit discussed.
This brand-new engine is an exciting advancement in the field of quantum mechanics and has the possible to lead to additional advances in the burgeoning location of quantum technologies. Does this mean we will soon see quantum mechanics powering the engines of our vehicles? “There are still many difficulties in building a useful quantum engine.”