Quantum batteries have become 4 times more efficient: what scientists have invented and where they will apply them

The special design of the new batteries made it possible to increase the efficiency of energy storage several times, and also to effectively use them in practice.

Researchers from the University of Gdańsk in Poland and the University of Calgary in Canada have developed quantum batteries that work much better than their counterparts, both from the point of view of energy capacity and from the point of view of efficiency. The publication Phys.

reported on the noveltyScientists used the principle of non-reciprocity to optimize the charging dynamics of quantum batteries. In physics, nonreciprocity occurs when the response of a system changes depending on the direction in which waves or signals propagate within it. This asymmetry arises from the violation of the so-called time-reversal symmetry, which essentially means that the processes in the system observed as they progress through time will be different from those observed when rewinding.

Nonreciprocity is commonly used in the development of new quantum technologies, for example to ensure that signals flow in a certain direction and suppress noise. However, so far this principle has rarely been applied to the development of quantum energy storage solutions.

The main goal of the research was to successfully use nonreciprocity to improve the efficiency and capacity of quantum batteries, potentially leading to innovations in how quantum technologies store energy.

The batteries, developed by scientists in Poland and Canada, use time-reversal symmetry breaking to create a direct flow of energy from the quantum charger to the battery, preventing the reverse flow of energy. This approach significantly increases stored energy, even in superdamped interaction regimes, and is easy to implement using current quantum circuits in photonics and superconducting systems, the researchers explained.

They also found that their non-reciprocal battery design helped 4 times to increase the efficiency of energy storage compared to conventional quantum batteries. Tests have shown that non-reciprocal quantum batteries can easily overcome local scattering and maintain high energy transfer rates.

The work of this research group opens up new opportunities for using non-reciprocity to improve the performance and reliability of both quantum batteries and other quantum systems. The scientists intend to explore the interplay between nonreciprocity and other quantum resources, such as entanglement and quantum catalysis, to further enhance energy storage capabilities. In the plans — experimental implementation of theoretical models in practical quantum circuits to improve the technology for real applications.