The first quantum phase battery, consisting of indium arsenide (InAs) nanowire in contact with aluminum superconducting leads. Image credited to Andrea Lorio
A team of researchers has unveiled what they claim to be the world’s first quantum phase battery described as a “key element for quantum technologies.”
By now, we’re no stranger to the quantum computing hype. When (or rather, if) they are successfully developed and deliver on their promised potential, quantum computers will be able to solve problems and challenges that would otherwise require hundreds or thousands or more years for current “classic” computer technology to solve.
In what could be a massive step for quantum computing, researchers from the University of the Basque County claim to have developed the world’s first quantum phase battery.
Quantum vs “Classic” Batteries
Today, batteries are ubiquitous, with lithium-ion batteries being the most common out of them, although alternatives do exist. These batteries convert chemical energy into a voltage that can provide power to an electronic circuit.
In contrast, quantum technologies feature circuits based on superconducting materials through which a current can flow without voltage, therefore negating the need for “classic” chemical batteries. In quantum technologies, the current is induced from a phase difference of the wave function of the quantum circuit related to the wave nature of matter.
A quantum device that can provide a persistent phase difference can be used as a quantum phase battery and induce supercurrents in a quantum circuit, powering it.
Link to the original press release:
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/the-worlds-first-quantum-phase-battery-was-made-in-spain/
