Quantum engines enter the real world: Tiny superconducting device could build computers of the future

Scientists at Finland’s Aalto University have successfully built and operated the world’s first cyclic superconducting quantum heat engine, a device that converts tiny amounts of heat near absolute zero into useful work. The achievement provides a rare experimental bridge between quantum mechanics and thermodynamics, two branches of physics that traditionally describe very different worlds. Beyond its initial scientific significance, the breakthrough could eventually help solve one of the biggest engineering challenges facing large-scale quantum computing. Thermodynamics governs the familiar world of heat, energy transfer,…