For the first time, researchers have directly observed a molecular interaction that is essential for fundamental chemical reactions such as photosynthesis. They used a quantum computer to slow down a chemical reaction by a hundred billion times. Capturing a slowed chemical reaction with a quantum computer.
Photo credit: University of Sydney
The study, published Aug. 28 in the journal Nature Chemistry, focuses on a molecular interaction called “cone crossing.” These interfaces act like funnels between electronic states, enabling rapid transitions that speed up chemical reactions. They are involved in many reactions, including photosynthesis and light perception reactions in the retina.
Researchers at the University of Sydney used a quantum computer with trapped ions to observe this interaction. This device traps quantum particles in electric fields and manipulates them with lasers. Vanessa Olaya Agudelo, a doctoral student in chemistry and co-author of the study, explains that the natural process ends in a few femtoseconds. Quantum computing has made it possible to slow down these dynamics from femtoseconds to milliseconds, thus offering the possibility of meaningful measurements.
Christophe Valahu, a physicist at the University of Sydney and co-author of the study, emphasizes that the experiment was not a digital approximation, but rather a direct analog observation of quantum dynamics.
This understanding could open up new perspectives in areas ranging from materials science to drug design to solar energy harvesting. It could also improve other processes related to the interaction of molecules with light, such as the creation of smog or the damage to the ozone layer.
In this experiment, the quantum computer was not used for complex calculations as expected. Instead, it served as a platform for manipulating and observing quantum particles in real time. This departure from the usual use of quantum computing opens the way to new methods for studying molecular systems and could have significant implications for various areas of science.