Digital Quantum Batteries: Energy and Information Storage in Nanovacuum Tube Arrays

Dielectric material between capacitor electrodes increases the capacitance. However, when the electric field exceeds a threshold, electric breakdown in the dielectric discharges the capacitor suddenly and the stored energy is lost. We show that nanovacuum tubes do not have this problem because (i) electric breakdown can be suppressed with quantization phenomena, and (ii) the capacitance is large at small gap sizes. We find that the energy density and power density in nanovacuum tubes are large compared to lithium batteries and electrochemical capacitors. The electric field in a nanovacuum tube can be sensed with MOSFETs in the insulating walls. Random access arrays of nanovacuum tubes with an energy gate, to charge the tube, and an information gate attached to the MOSFET to sense the electric field in the tube, can be used to store both energy and information. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 15: 48-55, 2010