According to researchers, quantum capacity will help technological development
Notipres – Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are working on new proposals on quantum materials and their application in future technologies. Nai-Chang Ye, professor of physics and co-director of Caltech’s Kavli Nanoscience Institute, investigates materials with quantum properties such as superconductors, graphene, topological materials, and atomically thin materials.
Ye and his team are working together to develop technology that can not only observe them, but also build them. Yet despite these shortcomings, Ye and his team say the promise of quantum materials and their applications is the behavior that drives quantum mechanics.
That said, quantum materials behave differently from their predecessors and this is due to the atomic interaction between them, which causes special requirements for their use. To exemplify this, semiconductor-based technology requires continuous reduction of nanoelectronic components and devices.
Issues related to quantum conductance, quantum capacitance, quantum fluctuations, and increased heat dissipation are some of the drawbacks faced by this technology. Despite the latter, Ye and her team seek solutions for such scenarios.
Another example of how quantum materials work is the copper pair, which centers its importance on a strongly bonded pair of electrons. This binding gives rise to a phenomenon called superconductivity, which is currently used in MRI devices to generate and optimize high magnetic fields.
Similarly, the superconductors used in quantum computers would represent a breakthrough. By operating at very low temperatures, they hinder the scalability of the technology, and if this limitation is overcome, the technology can be better commercialized and managed.
Correcting these shortcomings of quantum technology would mean the development of better, faster, smarter, and smaller electronic devices. Building on this are new proposals for technological developments such as photonic sensors and other devices in consumer products, medicine, or even national security. This advance will also have the potential to generate changes in the environment, since said technological advances will optimize the use of energy to be more friendly to the environment.
It should be noted that the properties that arise from quantum materials result in phenomena such as electron confinement and quasiparticle behavior. This new branch of science will allow not only to improve current technology, but also to generate innovative solutions to current problems.