Entanglement used as fuel for quantum engines in new Chinese study
Chinese scientists have achieved a milestone by harnessing the power of quantum entanglement to fuel a quantum engine, potentially revolutionizing energy efficiency and powering future quantum technologies.
The entanglement phenomenon keeps two separated photons closely connected, seemingly communicating faster than light, regardless of the distance between them.
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Innovation Academy of Precision Measurement Science and Technology highlighted that the breakthrough demonstrates the potential for quantum engines to utilize their entangled states as a source of fuel, South China Morning Post reported.
According to Zhou Fei, one of the corresponding authors, the study’s highlight is “the first experimental realization of a quantum engine with entangled characteristics, which quantitatively verified that entanglement can serve as a type of ‘fuel’.”
In the study, published on April 30 in the journal Physical Review Letters, Zhou, along with co-author Feng Mang and their team, demonstrated that the entanglement phenomenon enhances the output efficiency of quantum engines.
Unlocking potential for breakthrough energy efficiency
In contrast to conventional engines relying on thermal combustion, a quantum engine utilizes lasers to shift particles between quantum states, transforming light into kinetic energy.
Moreover, quantum engines theoretically possess the ability to surpass classical thermodynamic limitations, potentially achieving energy conversion efficiencies exceeding 25 percent, enough to power large-scale quantum computers and circuits.
Thus, Zhou’s team utilized ultra-cold 40Ca+ ions held in an ion trap as the working material for the quantum engine. They devised a thermodynamic process converting external laser energy into the ions’ vibrational energy.
“We chose the entangled states of two spinning ions as the working substance, with [their] vibrational modes acting as the load. Through precise adjustments of laser frequency, amplitude, and duration, the ions were transitioned from their initial pure states to highly entangled states,” Zhou clarified.
As he further points out, those measurements give the team insight into how effectively the engine operates and how efficiently it utilizes the energy it produces.
Ion entanglement boosts mechanical efficiency
Analysis of over 10,000 experiments indicated that increased levels of ion entanglement correlated with enhanced mechanical efficiency, while the conversion efficiency remained relatively unaffected by the degree of entanglement. This suggests quantum entanglement acts as a “fuel” in quantum engines despite its mysterious mechanism to physicists.
“Quantum engines are currently a very active research field, with many theoretical analyses and studies, but very few experimental results are provided,” Zhou noted.
According to Zhou, the study’s conclusions open new perspectives for the development of micro-energy devices such as quantum motors and batteries. They suggest that the entanglement properties of the working material can enhance the maximum extractable energy.
Although quantum batteries may not store as much energy as those in electric vehicles, their true advantage lies in their capacity to energize extensive quantum computers and circuits. Thus, the future challenge is to increase the variety of materials while preserving the quality of entanglement, leading to higher output.
Source: Interesting Engineering
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Entanglement used as fuel for quantum engines in new Chinese study