To improve the transport of energy Scientists turn to the quantum domain

The quantum realm holds shocking revelations and irrational solutions. Taking a page from the Marvel Universe, researchers based at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Tokyo, Japan, designed a more efficient quantum transport system by adding even more noise to it. 

They published their results on July 24 in npj Quantum Information.

"Many technological improvements have been achieved by better device engineering to reduce the effects of noise and imperfections, which seems like a perfectly logical approach. We found although nature already knew this that energy transport can actually be enhanced by adding environmental noise." ( Kae Nemoto, a professor at the National Institute of Informatics and an author of the paper. )

The researchers designed a computer simulation based on this process, but added a correlated noise to the path where energy is going through. Surprisingly, the energy transfer was significantly accelerated with anti-correlated noise. "There is now clear evidence that noise can help in energy transport," Nemoto said. "This can be applied to more complex networks, and we are working on designing more realistic energy transport systems. If we can speed up energy transport, we must also be able to slow it down, too."

The researchers plan to continue studying exactly how noise influences the speed of energy transport with the goal of gaining control over the system to precisely fine tune its efficiency.