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Researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute, the Neils Bohr Institute, and Harvard University have come up with a theory that describes how to detect weak electrical signals and cool electrical circuits using light and a nano-sized loudspeaker.

 

The physicists are hoping to demonstrate that their theory works in a series of experiments, which could, if proven, revolutionalise a number of technology fields.

 

 

“We envision coupling a nanomechanical membrane to an electrical circuit so that an electrical signal, even if exceedingly faint, will cause the membrane to quiver slightly as a function of the strength of that signal,” said Jake Taylor, a physicist at the Joint Quantum Institute. “We can then bounce photons from a laser off that membrane and read the signal by measuring the modulation of the reflected light as it is shifted by the motion of the membrane. This leads to a change in the wavelength of the light.”

 

The technology could be used to significantly reduce the size of MRI machines by lowering the strength of signals needed, which would result in smaller magnets employed.

 

It could also be used to perform calculations that are currently impossible for existing computers, taking advantage of quantum physics to use light to transfer information among qubits. The system also automatically cools itself, which means that we won't have to worry about the additional processing power leading to overheating.

 

Source: SciTechDaily

Image Credit: Jake Taylor/NIST