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Okinawa scientists explain how they did the impossible.
A team of researchers from the Department of Quantum Systems at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), together with scientists from the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau and the University of Stuttgart, created a working quantum engine using the principles of quantum mechanics.
Unlike traditional engines, where the explosion of a mixture of fuel and air causes the piston to move and create energy, the new quantum engine works differently. Scientists changed the quantum properties of the particles in the gas, rather than using heat. At very low temperatures, when quantum effects occur, bosons have a lower energy state than fermions. This difference in energy can be used to run an engine that converts bosons to fermions and vice versa.
"To turn fermions into bosons, you can take two fermions and combine them into a molecule. This new molecule is a boson. By destroying it, we can get fermions again. By repeating the process cyclically, we can power the engine without using heat, " explained Professor Thomas Busch, head of the Department of Quantum Systems.
Despite the high potential of the new quantum engine, its application for automobile engines in the near future remains questionable. "We have proven the effectiveness of the system in practice, but this is only the first step," said Kirti Menon.
To maintain the stability of the quantum state, it is important for scientists to ensure low temperatures, since heat can disrupt quantum processes. Maintaining such conditions requires a significant amount of energy.
The next stage of research will be to optimize engine performance and explore its potential applications in other devices, such as batteries and sensors.
The results of the study are published in the journal Nature.
A team of researchers from the Department of Quantum Systems at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), together with scientists from the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau and the University of Stuttgart, created a working quantum engine using the principles of quantum mechanics.
Unlike traditional engines, where the explosion of a mixture of fuel and air causes the piston to move and create energy, the new quantum engine works differently. Scientists changed the quantum properties of the particles in the gas, rather than using heat. At very low temperatures, when quantum effects occur, bosons have a lower energy state than fermions. This difference in energy can be used to run an engine that converts bosons to fermions and vice versa.
"To turn fermions into bosons, you can take two fermions and combine them into a molecule. This new molecule is a boson. By destroying it, we can get fermions again. By repeating the process cyclically, we can power the engine without using heat, " explained Professor Thomas Busch, head of the Department of Quantum Systems.
Despite the high potential of the new quantum engine, its application for automobile engines in the near future remains questionable. "We have proven the effectiveness of the system in practice, but this is only the first step," said Kirti Menon.
To maintain the stability of the quantum state, it is important for scientists to ensure low temperatures, since heat can disrupt quantum processes. Maintaining such conditions requires a significant amount of energy.
The next stage of research will be to optimize engine performance and explore its potential applications in other devices, such as batteries and sensors.
The results of the study are published in the journal Nature.
