Researchers at The Open University have developed a new way of understanding what happens when atoms cool, which could lead to new materials for superconducting power grids and magnetic resonance imaging.
Superconductors are materials with no electrical resistance, which means they can transmit electrical current with no energy loss. But they require very low temperatures to work.
In their paper, Bilayers of Rydberg atoms as a quantum simulator for unconventional superconductors, published in Physical Review Letters, Dr Jim Hague and Dr Calum McCormick in The Open University’s Department of Physical Sciences describe a new method to understand the cooling of atoms, by simulating the behaviour of a superconductor using a "quantum simulator", a kind of bespoke quantum computer for examining specific problems.
The researchers found that such a simulator can be built to examine atoms cooled to just a millionth of a degree above absolute zero. The atoms are controlled using laser beams which enhance the electrical forces between the atoms, which are usually weak and unimportant.
These forces mimic the physics of the superconductor, and the proposed simulator includes far more physical detail than ever before.
“By studying the atoms in the quantum simulator, we expect that it will be possible to make major progress in unravelling the underlying theory of these fascinating materials, said Dr Hague.
"A superconductor operating close to room temperature would offer potentially revolutionary technology.”
Read the research on Open University Online
