Quantum speed-up predicted for charging quantum batteries

While batteries have been improving in recent times, at their core today's batteries still operate on the same basic electrochemical principles developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some physicists are now wondering whether quantum phenomena may revolutionize conventional battery chemistry and lead to the development of an entirely new class of potentially more powerful batteries.

In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, physicists Dario Ferraro and coauthors at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genova, Italy, have theoretically demonstrated a quantum speed-up for the charging time of quantum batteries, in analogy to the quantum speed-up that has been previously demonstrated for information processing in quantum computing.

"We have shown that, even in a simple but realistic model, the charging power can be considerably enhanced by properly exploiting the rules of quantum mechanics," Ferraro told Phys.org. "Quantum batteries, once experimentally realized, could be used in contexts where the rapidity of charging/discharging process is crucial. As a possible application, one can imagine the realization of nanoscale power supplies to provide energy to miniaturized devices directly on-site."