Title:
Crucial Superabsorption Breakthrough Unlocks Key to Next-Generation Quantum Batteries
By:
University of Adelaide
Published:
SciTechDaily, 12 February 2022
From the article:
Researchers at the University of Adelaide and their overseas partners have taken a key step in making quantum batteries a reality. They have successfully proved the concept of superabsorption, a crucial idea underpinning quantum batteries.
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Title:
Superabsorption in an organic microcavity: Toward a quantum battery
Authors:
James Q. Quach, Kirsty E. McGhee, Lucia Ganzer, Dominic M. Rouse, Brendon W. Lovett, Erik M. Gauger, Jonathan Keeling, Giulio Cerullo, David G. Lidzey & Tersilla Virgili
Published:
Science Advances, 14 January 2022
Abstract:
The rate at which matter emits or absorbs light can be modified by its environment, as markedly exemplified by the widely studied phenomenon of superradiance. The reverse process, superabsorption, is harder to demonstrate because of the challenges of probing ultrafast processes and has only been seen for small numbers of atoms. Its central idea—superextensive scaling of absorption, meaning larger systems absorb faster—is also the key idea underpinning quantum batteries. Here, we implement experimentally a paradigmatic model of a quantum battery, constructed of a microcavity enclosing a molecular dye. Ultrafast optical spectroscopy allows us to observe charging dynamics at femtosecond resolution to demonstrate superextensive charging rates and storage capacity, in agreement with our theoretical modeling. We find that decoherence plays an important role in stabilizing energy storage. Our work opens future opportunities for harnessing collective effects in light-matter coupling for nanoscale energy capture, storage, and transport technologies.