In the early 20th century, quantum theory was able to explain an unknown phenomenon that involves a thing that everyone is interacting with every day: light. This theory explains why an object that is heated to thousands of degrees Celsius can emit specific color spectrums of light, or what is commonly known as the Black Object Radiation. The studies of those light spectrums' behavior by Planck, Einstein, and Bohr then were composed together by Schrodinger and Heisenberg which then resulted in a new theory called quantum mechanics.

The effects of quantum mechanics are not limited to the atomic level. In 2007 it was found that quantum mechanics play a role in the process of plant and algae photosynthesis. During the photosynthesis process, light in the form of excited energy will experience disturbance during its propagation process. This disturbance is caused by the absorption of energy by water and protein molecules in their surrounding environment.

"Another noise that also exists in this system is thermal fluctuation, which can reduce the effect of energy absorption thus making the propagation process faster and more efficient," wrote Prof. Freddy Permana Zen in his article on Rubrik Rekacipta ITB, Tuesday (29/3/2022).

Noise Phenomenon

To explain the noise phenomenon, we need to look deeper into quantum physics theory. Noise is a collection of unwanted signals that are caused by the environment. However, in the world of quantum, some of those noises can also be beneficial by increasing the system efficiency.

In Indonesia, the research on the phenomenon of noise in a quantum system is being conducted by the members of Theoretical High Energy Physics Laboratory Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) through analytic calculations and computer simulations.

The research is being carried out by reviewing the effect of chaos in quantum systems and the influence of external variables such as outer fields and the environment. Currently, the research group is conducting an experiment using an ion-trap device. This device was developed by researchers from Innsbruck University, Austria. In addition to physical experiments, another approach that has high accuracy and degree of control is quantum simulation.

Quantum simulator devices are made possible by the inventions of superconductors, quantum doc, and optical lattice devices. The simulator devices, in addition to being the basis of the quantum computer, have many other practical uses such as inventing new materials, designing chemical structures for new drugs (pharmacy), and even simulating quantum gravity. Therefore, this research group is very determined to do further research on the aspects of quantum dynamics and the effect of environmental noise.

*This article was uploaded in Media Indonesia rubric Rekacipta ITB, the complete article can be read on https://research.lppm.itb.ac.id/information/manfaat_noise_di_dunia_kuantum

Reporter: Yoel Enrico Meiliano (Food Engineering, 2020)
Translator: Favian Aldilla Rachmadi (Civil Engineering, 2019)