Chinese Scientists Break World Record With Highest-Ever Energy Light
China’s scientific and research community has yet again established a world record with its latest quantum science breakthrough. As reported by Chinese news agency Xinhua, scientists from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have created visible light that is 10 times hotter than the center of the Sun, setting a new world record for highest-energy light.
The research team, working at CAS Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, used a technique called “high harmonic generation” (HHG) to create the highest-energy visible light ever recorded. HHG is a process that generates electromagnetic radiation using a nonlinear process, where a laser is used to create a strong electric field and generate new higher frequency components.
Dr. Jie Zhang, a team leader of the research group, said that “The experiment produced an unprecedented 7.8-electron-volt light, which is a million times stronger than natural light and 10 times hotter than the center of the Sun.”
The world has become more aware of China’s potential in scientific innovation, however, the significance of this latest achievement stands out as it has thrown open new possibilities for a variety of experimental approaches like the study of matter-antimatter physics and ultrafast laser technology.
China’s Leap in Quantum Science Innovation
Quantum science technology has made major leaps in recent years, and China has been at the forefront of breakthroughs that have made many of these achievements possible. For instance, earlier this year, a groundbreaking optical quantum computing experiment was conducted by Chinese scientists at the University of Science and Technology Beijing and the Beijing Institute of Technology.
The experiment involved a custom-built quantum computer with a total of four qubits that were able to show stable entanglement with two qubits and with an electromagnetic field. The remaining free two qubits were demonstrated with ‘teleportation’ and ‘swapping’ operations – proof that the system was able to sufficiently demonstrate the principles and methods of quantum computing.
Using optical technology and lasers, the country has been working hard to gain a lead over the international sci-tech community. Successes like attaining China’s first satellite-based quantum science experiment are a symbol of these sustained efforts.
Major Technology Developments By Chinese Scientists
The Chinese scientists have pulled out some impressive feats from research labs. Apart from highest-energy light, these include:
• Reigning the world in quantum communications – China took a major leap in implementing quantum technology co-authored by CAS Institute of Physics. With this, it holds the record of establishing the world’s first quantum communications system.
• Achieving Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) – An experiment conducted by a team of physics researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) proved their ability to create Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) which are the ‘coldest thing in the universe’. Through this experiment, they became the first laboratory in Asia to create entangled photons and be part of the race of finding the space-time fabric of the universe.
• Achieving quantum entanglement in space – In 2016, quantum entanglement experiments conducted in-orbit opened the gates for sending ultra-secure signals, containing quantum-encrypted messages, from space. Aboard the Chinese quantum satellite ‘Micius’, experiments for ACHIEVE (Asia-Pacific Collaboration for Highly Integrated Space-based Einstenium Visualize Experiment) were conducted. The satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
• Producing microwaves from heat – Using thermal radiation, Chinese researchers from the CAS’s Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology were able to produce microwaves from heat. The research team managed to use thermal radiation to demonstrate optical-to-microwave signal upconversion with ~15% efficiency with just two intrinsic diode structures. This would prove to be a very useful development in protecting the environment.
• Achieving the coldest-ever temperature on Earth – Researchers at Tsinghua University and CAS Beijing Capital Laboratories were able to produce a record-breakingly cold temperature of 170-billionths of a degree Celsius above absolute zero. With the experiment, they intended to explore the possibilities of creating a ‘Bose-Einstein condensate’ from the coldest known substance on Earth.
China has made some remarkable contributions in the field of quantum science technology in the past few years. With the recent successful achievement of visible light with highest-ever energy, Chinese scientists have again reaffirmed their commitment and potential to challenging the scientific community by pushing boundaries of the possible.
This is despite the lack of recognition globally the Chinese scientific community for their remarkable feats. With the ongoing scientific advancement in the country, it is only a matter of time before these major breakthroughs find the global spotlight they deserve.
