Scientists creates a model for a quantum battery that stays stable and efficient, even when exposed to energy loss or noise. Also, energy loss helps quantum batteries charge better.
Unlike traditional batteries that rely on chemical reactions, quantum batteries use effects such as superposition, coherence, and entanglement to store and transfer energy. In theory, this allows faster charging and higher efficiency.
Scientists from the RIKEN Centre for Quantum Computing in Japan and Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China have proposed a new design for a topological quantum battery. An energy storage device that uses quantum effects to charge efficiently without energy loss.
However, practical realisation remains difficult because quantum systems are fragile. When exposed to environmental noise, structural defects, or dissipation, they lose coherence, a process called decoherence, which severely limits energy retention and transfer.
The researchers have developed a theoretical framework that integrates topological photonic waveguides with quantum systems based on two-level atoms. Topological materials exhibit properties that remain stable even when subjected to deformation, rendering them resistant to external disturbances.
The model demonstrates how such systems could enable stable long-distance energy transfer while reducing photon dispersion, a key cause of energy loss in conventional photonic devices.
A key finding of the study is that dissipation, typically viewed as harmful, can, under certain conditions, temporarily boost charging power. When the charger and battery occupy the same physical region within the lattice, the system achieves what the researchers describe as dissipation immunity, allowing near-perfect energy transfer confined to a single sublattice.
As dissipation increases beyond a critical level, the charging power momentarily rises before stabilising, indicating that controlled energy loss could enhance performance.
The study, published in Physical Review Letters, outlines how combining quantum mechanics with topological principles could overcome long-standing barriers in nanoscale energy storage.
