Quantum device to slow chemical process by factor of 100bn

Associate Ivan Kassal. New research - and a world-first experimental result - display the potential for using quantum technology to explore new designs in material science, drugs or solar energy harvesting. Scientists at the University of Sydney have, for the first time, used a quantum computer to engineer and directly observe a process critical in chemical reactions by slowing it down by a factor of 100 billion times. Joint lead researcher and PhD candidate, Vanessa Olaya Agudelo, said: "It is by understanding these basic processes inside and between molecules that we can open up a new world of possibilities in materials science, drug design, or solar energy harvesting. "It could also help improve other processes that rely on molecules interacting with light, such as how smog is created or how the ozone layer is damaged." Video explainer of the research. Credit: Sebastian Zentilomo Specifically, the research team witnessed the interference pattern of a single atom caused by a common geometric structure in chemistry called a 'conical intersection'. Conical intersections are known throughout chemistry and are vital to rapid photo-chemical processes such as light harvesting in human vision or photosynthesis.