quantum

Using an unconventional approach inspired by quantum physics, Rice engineer Gururaj Naik and his team designed a thermal emitter that can deliver high efficiencies within practical design parameters.

"It seems almost impossible to have a consistent theory of gravity combined with quantum mechanics that does not have particles like the axion," Safdi said.

“It’s a very clever idea and it looks like they did a nice job in implementing it,” says Aaron Chou, a quantum physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

However, the quantum properties of the fuel would be adjusted for peak efficiency using an existing process known as spin polarization.

A new theory, that explains how light and matter interact at the quantum level has enabled researchers to define for the first time the precise shape of a single photon.