Systems and Methods for Enhancing Energy Storage in Quantum Thermodynamic Systems

Abstract

In some embodiments, a device for harvesting energy from an environment energy system comprises a pump, and a coherence capacitor of metamaterial configured to store of coherence in interactions between elements of the metamaterial, a carrier fluid of particles that flushes coherence from the metamaterial and carries the coherence to a quantum heat engine via a circuit at a rate determined by a pump. The quantum heat engine is configured to harvest heat energy from the environment and use the heat energy to output useful energy while expelling waste heat back into the same environment.

1 . A system for extracting energy from an environment, comprising:
 a circuit;   a pump configured to circulate a carrier fluid through the circuit;   a coherence-storing metamaterial coupled to receive the carrier fluid from the pump, the carrier fluid extracts coherence from the metamaterial by changing interactions between nodes in the metamaterial; and   a quantum heat engine coupled to receive coherence extracted from the metamaterial, the quantum heat engine is configured to use the coherence to output useful energy while expelling waste energy by erasing one or more bits of the coherence.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the metamaterial is configured to shift between a first crystalline state that stores coherence and a second crystalline state which does not store coherence. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the interactions include at least one of the group consisting of: Van der Waals forces, quantum entanglement; and topological bending energies. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the pump is operable to start, stop, and maintain the circulation of the carrier fluid around the circuit at constant and variable speed.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 energy to operate the pump is provided by the quantum heat engine.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the quantum heat engine is configured to use the coherence to output useful energy in the form of at least one of the group consisting of: electricity, mechanical energy, potential energy, and kinetic energy, while expelling waste energy generated by erasing the coherence.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the metamaterial is fabricated with at least one layer of a topological insulator.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the quantum heat engine includes a micro-laser cavity coupled to the single temperature bath.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the pump is configured to use recycled bleed energy from the quantum heat engine to drive the carrier fluid around the circuit and extract coherence from the metamaterial.   
     
     
         10 . A method comprising:
 operating a pump to extract coherence from a coherence capacitor, the coherence capacitor includes a metamaterial that shifts between a first state that stores coherence and a second state when at least a portion of the coherence has been extracted, wherein the coherence is absorbed and extracted by a carrier fluid that includes particles that pass through a metamaterial in the coherence capacitor and mate with interactions supported and anchored by nodes of the metamaterial; and   circulating the carrier fluid to supply the coherence to a quantum heat engine;   converting the coherence to heat in the quantum engine; and   producing useful energy from the heat.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 outputting useful energy in the form of at least one of the group consisting of: electricity, mechanical energy, potential energy, and kinetic energy, while expelling waste energy generated by erasing the coherence.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 storing coherence in the form of molecular bonds between atoms in molecules of the quantum crystal.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 supplying energy to the metamaterial to re-establish interactions between at least some of the nodes of the metamaterial.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the interactions are at least one of the group consisting of: van der Waals forces, quantum entanglement, and topological bending energies.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 supplying the energy to the metamaterial to re-establish bonds between at least some of the nodes of the metamaterial using at least one of the group comprising: a solar cell, a chemical battery, and a hydrocarbon fuel engine.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 supplying energy from the pump to the metamaterial to disconnect at least one of the interactions between the nodes to mine the coherence.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 recycling bleed energy from the quantum heat engine in the pump.   
     
     
         18 . An apparatus comprising:
 a pump;   a coherence capacitor of metamaterial configured to store coherence in interactions between elements of the metamaterial;   a carrier fluid circulated by the pump through the metamaterial to extract coherence from the metamaterial by changing interactions between nodes in the metamaterial; and   a quantum heat engine configured to receive the coherence via the carrier fluid and to output useful energy while expelling waste heat back into the same environment.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 the metamaterial is configured to shift between a first crystalline state that stores coherence and a second crystalline state which does not store coherence.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 means for supplying energy to the metamaterial to connect interactions between at least some of the nodes.