Quantum batteries benefit from competing interactions

In a recent article published in Physical Review Letters (https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.197001), Riccardo Grazi, Daniel Sacco Shaikh, Maura Sassetti, Niccolò Traverso Ziani, and Dario Ferraro, all belonging to the Physics Department of the University of Genova, have theoretically shown a connection between the zero temperature properties of complex quantum systems and their ability to store energy.

Left panel. Phase diagram of the dimerized XY chain. Right panel. Energy stored in the chain as a function of time after a sudden change of the dimerization.
Left panel. Phase diagram of the dimerized XY chain. Right panel. Energy stored in the chain as a function of time after a sudden change of the dimerization.

More specifically, they have considered quantum systems that are characterized, at very low temperature, by competing orders such as paramagnetism and ferromagnetism. Such competition can be exploited to achieve an enhancement of the stability of the energy trapped into the quantum systems. Their results might lead to interesting advancements in the development of quantum batteries, devices that are able to store energy at the quantum level and that can hence naturally be integrated in quantum platforms relevant for quantum technological applications.

The article has been summarized on popular science websites, such as phys.org (https://phys.org/news/2024-11-quantum-battery-external-field.html)