Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered the Mpemba effect in quantum systems, revealing how certain transformations can paradoxically speed up cooling. This breakthrough may benefit future quantum technologies by improving cooling efficiency and reducing energy loss.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have just described the existence of the paradoxical Mpemba effect within quantum systems. Initially investigating out of pure curiosity, the discovery has bridged the gap between Aristotle’s observations two millennia ago and modern-day understanding, and opened the door to a whole host of “cool” – and “cooling” – implications.
The Mpemba effect is best known as a perplexing phenomenon, where hot water freezes faster than cold water. Observations of the counter-intuitive effect date back to Aristotle who, over 2,000 years ago, noted that the Greeks of Pontus were exploiting the effect in their fishing practices.
The Mpemba effect has also stoked the curiosity of other great minds throughout history, such as René Descartes and Francis Bacon. It continues to be the subject of numerous broadsheet articles and pops up regularly as a curious focus in various settings, such as in the cooking competition MasterChef, where contestants have tried capitalizing on the effect to deliver frozen delicacies more quickly than seems possible in dessert challenges.
And now, we can say that this strange effect is much more ubiquitous than we previously expected as the Trinity QuSys team, led by Prof. John Goold from the School of Physics, has just published a fascinating research paper in the journal Physical Review Letters. The paper outlines their breakthrough in understanding the effect in the very different – and extremely complex – world of quantum physics.
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