Quantum technology can charge batteries at lightning speed

More power, faster charging and connectivity – this is the biggest challenge in the context of electric mobility. Now a team from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan has discovered such a possibility. This aims to outperform conventional electrochemical cells in all aspects.

Quantum Principle: Superposition of waves reinforces each other

To do this, they use the basics of quantum physics. This is based on the principle that all parts of matter have a wave identity that propagates through space and time.

These same waves represent the properties of each object as a spectrum of possibilities called its superposition. The special thing about it is that the waves can interfere with each other and in this way reinforce each other.

Therefore, using this quantum phenomenon to transfer and store energy seems reasonable at first glance. All it takes is a large number of overlapping waves to achieve the amplification effect. Or in other words: the larger the battery, the faster the charging.

A team of physicists has demonstrated this effect experimentally, with a South Korean team having already achieved a proof of concept in 2022. Instead of a battery, the Taiwanese team used an ion, a qubit, in a superposition state. They sent this qubit through cavities that were supposed to act as a charger. Its only function was to reflect certain wavelengths in order to guide them to the qubit and thus charge it further.

A quantum battery is still a long way off

As part of several experiments on the IBM Quantum Platform, researchers have found that it is particularly efficient to send a qubit not through several cavities, but through just one. They found an effect they call the “ideal charging phenomenon,” which means that all energy can be completely converted and stored.

Many trials are needed before the concept becomes an actual product. For now, the researchers' findings mean they… Physical review research I just posted that using quantum technology to charge batteries at lightning speeds might one day become possible.