• Heat normally flows from hot to coldklyaksun/Shutterstock Heat normally flows from hot to cold klyaksun/Shutterstock A forgotten cup of coffee will gradually cool down as its heat flows into the cooler surrounding air, but in the quantum realm, it appears this experience can be turned on its head. • As a result, we may need to update the second law of thermodynamics, a fundamental principle of physics that states heat energy always flows from hot to cold. • Dawei Luat the Southern University of Science and Technology in China and his colleagues have seemingly broken this law with a molecule of crotonic acid, which contains atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. • The researchers used the nuclei of four of its carbon atoms as qubits, which are the basic building blocks of quantum computers and can store quantum information. • When used in computation, researchers normally control the quantum states of the qubits with bursts of electromagnetic radiation, but in this case, the team leveraged this control to make heat flow from a colder, lower-temperature qubit towards a hotter one instead. • Read moreNo space, no time, no particles: A radical vision of quantum reality Read more No space, no time, no particles: A radical vision of quantum reality This would never spontaneously happen to something in our macroscopic world, like a cup of coffee, as it would require extra energy to fuel the backwards flow.
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