Topological Quantum Batteries

TL;DR

This paper introduces a topological quantum battery design using photonic waveguides, revealing how topological phases and bound states influence energy storage, transfer, and robustness against dissipation.

Contribution

It analytically explores the thermodynamic performance of topological quantum batteries, highlighting the role of bound states, topological phases, and dissipation effects in energy storage and transfer.

Findings

Bound states dominate stored energy in the long-time limit.

Near-perfect energy transfer occurs in the topologically nontrivial phase.

Dissipation immunity and power boost are achieved through topological effects and the quantum Zeno effect.

Abstract

We propose an innovative design for quantum batteries (QBs) that involves coupling two-level systems to a topological photonic waveguide. Employing the resolvent method, we analytically explore the thermodynamic performance of QBs. First, we demonstrate that in the long-time limit, only bound states significantly contribute to the stored energy of QBs. We observe that near-perfect energy transfer can occur in the topologically nontrivial phase. Moreover, the maximum stored energy exhibits singular behavior at the phase boundaries, where the number of bound states undergoes a transition. Second, when a quantum charger and a quantum battery are coupled at the same sublattice within a unit cell, the ergotropy becomes immune to dissipation at that location, facilitated by a dark state and a topologically robust dressed bound state. Third, we show that as dissipation intensifies along with the emergence of the quantum Zeno effect, the charging power of QBs experiences a temporary boost. Our findings offer valuable guidance for improving quantum battery performance in realistic conditions through structured reservoir engineering.