LSU researchers are building a quantum simulator to study how light interacts with different materials in solar cells to increase their efficiency.Â
LSU Physics professor Omar Magana-Loaiza and postdoctoral researcher Chenglong You received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a one-of-a-kind quantum device. Their research could help scientists find better materials to build solar cells and make them more efficient.Â
The sun emits light made up of speeding photons that travel to the Earth, and solar cells convert the energy of those photons into electrical energy.Â
Most solar cells are made from crystalline silicon, a semiconductor material that helps transport photons in the conversion of light energy to electrical energy.Â