Purdue researchers built upon a theory first proposed in 2008 by Masahiro Hotta, successfully teleporting energy via quantum entanglement.
TL;DR
Purdue University researchers have achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing by teleporting and storing energy using qubits. This innovation, originally theorized in 2008, harnesses quantum entanglement to transfer energy across space. Using qubits in their lowest energy state, the team managed to store the teleported energy, overcoming previous challenges. While currently tested through simulations, the next goal is to apply this energy for chemical reactions, bringing it closer to real-world uses.
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It’s easy to highlight the benefits of quantum computing nowadays. Yet, none of these benefits typically involve using it to gather energy, teleport that energy elsewhere, and then store it for future use. However, this is precisely what researchers at Purdue University in the US accomplished in the past year, despite the concept being suggested over a decade ago.
Quantum physics is still an evolving field, with much left to discover about its potential. Scientists in this domain consistently propose new theories, which undergo rigorous testing before they are solidified as laws that shape our understanding of quantum mechanics.
One such law asserts that a perfectly empty space doesn’t exist in the quantum world. Even if a space were cleared of the tiniest particles, small flickers of quantum fields would still linger and possess quantum properties, like entanglement.
Teleporting energy
Quantum entanglement is a fascinating concept in quantum physics that describes how a group of particles share a quantum state that cannot be independently described from one another. This entanglement persists even over vast distances.
In 2008, Masahiro Hotta, a researcher at Tohoku University in Japan, suggested that the flickers of quantum fields in empty spaces, once entangled, could be harnessed to teleport energy. This concept remained a theoretical idea for over a decade, until the field of quantum computing progressed significantly.
When researchers attempted Hotta’s experiment, they did manage to teleport energy, but faced a new obstacle. The energy that was teleported leaked into the surroundings and couldn’t be stored.
A team led by Sabre Kais, a professor of chemistry, electrical, and computer engineering at Purdue University, has now found a solution using quantum computing.
Qubits as energy storage
Kais’ team overcame the energy storage issue by utilizing qubits, the basic building blocks of quantum computing, or quantum bits. In their experiment, they placed qubits in their lowest energy state.
In a simpler context, this would be equivalent to qubits at zero energy. However, we know that even the most empty spaces contain some energy due to quantum field fluctuations. If two qubits were entangled and then separated, even the smallest interaction would alter their energy states.
For example, if the energy state of the first qubit were measured, its energy would slightly increase, which would also be reflected in the entangled qubit. However, this change wouldn’t be observable at the other end.
If the person conducting the measurement could calculate precisely how much additional energy the entangled qubits had, they could extract that energy from the entangled qubit and restore both qubits to their lowest energy state.
According to Kais’ research, this surplus energy could be stored in another qubit for later use. The researchers tested this idea through simulations on a quantum computer.
Some might argue that this is more of a simulation than a true experiment, but it’s the closest thing to an actual experiment, given that qubits were computing whether qubits could store energy, and there was a high level of agreement.
Kais and his team’s next goal is to use this energy to facilitate chemical reactions, bringing the concept closer to practical real-world applications.