Quantum technology – devices that work according to the principles of quantum operations – A promise to bring users critical new things in any context they appear. It is surprising that the same principles often create problems to prevent these amazing things from really moving.
A new study, published on November 14 in the journal Physical Review, addresses this problem by showing another, somewhat unexpected obstacle – the act of measuring itself. In an experiment, physicists built a microscopic quantum clock and found that the energy required to read quantum clocks can increase up to billions of times more than what is needed to run the clock.
The discovery highlights something “often overlooked in the literature,” or observational costs in quantum mechanics, according to the study. At the same time, the increased power could present the opportunity to create more informative, ultra-precise watches – if scientists find such a way, that is.
“Quantum clocks running on the smallest scale are expected to reduce the energy costs of timekeeping, but our new experiments reveal a surprising twist,” said Natalia Ares, senior physician at Oxford University in the UK, in a release. “Instead, with quantum clocks the ticks far exceed that of the clock itself.”
Some (highly evoked) background)
time is a lot a complex concept in quantum mechanics; Its influence is weak or almost non-existent in the quantum realm. However, virtual reality devices are embedded in realities that change over time. For researchers, that means future quantum devices – such as sensors or sensors or transmission systems – must contain ultra-precise internal clocks to reduce complications.
And then there’s the problem of balance, considering Schrödinger’s Cat illustrates this point well. Quantum systems can exist in various systems, but when an observer tries to measure that system, there is only one answer. So the cat could be dead or alive, but we won’t know until we open that box.
A standard clock automatically generates heat – and therefore entropy, or a measure of order – as it ticks and records the passage of time. The effect of heat is usually so small that it does not matter that the most distant, highly paid researchers ignore the effects of clock fields of quantum devices, according to the researchers.
Measuring quantum ticks
Through their experiments, the team created a quantum clock that works on two electrons moving between two different states. Each Jump was the equivalent of a “home” for a regular clock. They track changes in tiny electric currents and radio waves – two different quantum signals – and translate these changes into ancient time-keeping data. After that, the researchers compared the energy cost of entropy formed by “cheap” electron “ticks” and the energy required to scale these ticks.
Surprisingly, they found that the following “not only reduced the previous but also enabled significantly increased accuracy,” according to the paper. That is, setting efficiency aside, the added power of measurement actually allows the team to better control the clock.
If you look forward, such an understanding can help to synchronize time-related tasks within advanced computers, Edward Laird, a physicist at the University of Lancaster in the UK is not closed to new work, told the physics magazine. The discovery raises several fundamental questions about whether the very act of doing is what provides time orientation, the researchers added.
“By showing that it is the act of measuring – not just the towel itself – that gives time to its lead,” found Florian Meier, PostDoctol author, PostDoctol Student in Austria, in a statement.
As the researchers note in the paper, energy efficiency has been a consistent problem in the design of quantum technology. It is therefore surprising that, as it stands, the paper can be taken as an invitation to look away from hardware and reopen some aspects of Quantum Mechanics.
