The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund

Quantinuum LLC

Adam Ollanik

Matthew David Escarra

Yaping Ji

Qi Xu

Daniel Shawn Codd

Kazi M Islam

Brian C Riggs

Matthew Bohn

Benjamin Lewson

Vince Romanin

Nicholas David Farrar-Foley

In various embodiments, a system comprising an atomic object confinement apparatus and one or more signal manipulation elements is provided. Each signal manipulation element (a) is associated with a respective atomic object position of the atomic object confinement apparatus and (b) is one of a collection array or an action array. A collection array is configured to, responsive to an emitted signal emitted by an atomic object at the respective atomic object position being incident on the collection array, provide an induced collection signal to a respective collection position. An action array is configured to, responsive to an incoming signal being incident on the action array, provide an induced action signal to the respective atomic object position. The one or more signal manipulation elements comprise metamaterial arrays and/or diffractive optical elements.

Quantum computing using metamaterial arrays

A spectrum splitting, transmissive concentrating photovoltaic (tCPV) module is proposed and designed for a hybrid photovoltaic-solar thermal (PV/T) system. The system may be able to fully utilize the full spectrum of incoming sunlight. By utilizing III-V triple junction solar cells with bandgaps of approximately 2.1 eV, 1.7 eV, and 1.4 eV in the module, ultraviolet (UV) and visible light (in-band light) are absorbed and converted to electricity, while infrared (IR) light (out-of-band light) passes through and is captured by a solar thermal receiver and stored as heat. The stored heat energy may be dispatched as electricity or process heat as needed. The tCPV module may have an overall power conversion efficiency exceeding 43.5% for above bandgap (in-band) light under a standard AM1.5D solar spectrum with an average concentration ratio of 400 suns. Passive and/or active cooling methods may be used to keep cells below 110° C. while transmitting >75% of out-of-band light to the thermal receiver, which may attain thermal energy capture at temperatures as high as 500° C. or more. A transparent active cooling system may improve the CPV module efficiency by about 1% (absolute) relative to a passive cooling system by reducing the maximum cell working temperature by about 16° C.

Transmissive concentrated photovoltaic module with cooling system

A method for measuring a refractive index of a medium includes exciting a first antisymmetric resonance of a first metasurface, including a first periodic array of resonators formed on a substrate surface, with illumination incident on the first metasurface at a non-normal incidence angle with respect to the substrate surface, the first metasurface including the medium encapsulating the first periodic array of resonators. The method also includes determining a refractive index of the medium from a first amplitude of a first transmitted signal that includes a portion of the illumination transmitted through the first metasurface.

Refractive-index sensor and method

The use of photovoltaic (PV) cells to convert solar energy to electricity is becoming increasingly prevalent; however, there are still significant limitations associated with the widespread adoption of PV cells for electricity needs. There is a clear need for a high efficiency solar power system that supplies electricity at a competitive cost and that provides for an on-demand supply of electricity as well as energy storage. By combining aspects of concentrated solar power and concentrated photovoltaics, the present invention provides a device that enables the conversion of sunlight to electricity at very high efficiencies and that enables the transmission of thermal energy to heat storage devices for later use. The disclosed device enables transmissive CPV through the use of a multijunction PV cell mounted on a transparent base. The use of a multijunction cell allows for highly efficient absorption of light above the bandgap of the lowest bandgap subcell. The transparent base permits transmission of a high percentage of the remaining light below the bandgap of the lowest bandgap subcell. The present invention also discloses a method of generating electricity through the use of a transmissive CPV device. Sunlight is concentrated onto one or more surfaces of the device. High energy light is absorbed by a multijunction PV cell and converted directly to electricity, while low energy light is transmitted through the device into a thermal storage device, which may then be coupled to a heat engine to generate dispatchable electricity.

Infrared transmissive concentrated photovoltaics for coupling solar electric energy conversion to solar thermal energy utilization

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Adam Ollanik