German Scientists generate electrical current from Noise

Well, electricity is a set of physical phenomenon that is an ever-growing topic in the field of physics. Generally, there are various mode of generating electricity but scientists from the University of Wurzburg have found a new way to generate electric current from ‘noise’. A device has been built in which two quantum dots has been used to generate electrical impulse from the voltage noise.

It’s a well-known fact that electronic devices generates a huge amount of heat that is needed to be dissipated, but instead of discarding this energy, using it to do useful work could transfigure the electronic industry forever. Re-using this energy means, more efficient electronic devices can be constructed. For more than a decade physicists have tried founding ways via which they can generate electrical currents from this ‘wasted heat energy’ so that they can make them do works, such as power electronic devices and finally they have reached a possible point.

How the experiment works?

In a simple statement, the experiment uses voltage noise to mimic the hot and cold spots of wasted heat and hence is not directly converting the heat energy loss into electrical impulses. These two quantum dots are nothing but disc of semiconductor about 300nm in diameter. They are kept at distance of 150nm so that they can exchange energy via coulomb coupling theory. Then three conducting leads are being introduced into the system, two to the upper quantum dots so that the current can flow across the dots and one to the lower quantum dot to a voltage source with superimposed noise at milivolt range.

Now, when the researchers increased the intensity of the noise applied to the lower quantum dot, they saw comparatively a larger amount of current generating in the upper quantum dot. Technically, the data followed a quadratic drift, doubling the voltage noise quadrupled the maximum current, where the current is measured in nanoamperes.

Is the Experiment ready for industrial process?

Well, though there is an initial success yet the researchers believe that the experiment is not ready for the industrial experience. Currently, the quantum dots are immersed in liquid helium in order to maintain them, clearly which cannot be used for consumer devices. Plus the researchers are also in doubt about whether the currents can be driven out in room temperature. Scientists are now finding ways to construct a device which can be operated at room temperature.

Hope, the scientists do find a way to build the device as because this is a great method of generating electric current and can limit the usage of fossil fuels and thermal energies which have debilitated environment drastically in recent years.

/Anuttam/