CU Denver engineer develops science-altering quantum tool
According to a press release from the university, the tool being developed has the potential to spur advancements that could eradicate cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue and prove Stephen Hawking's multiverse theory by revealing the fabric underlying the universe.
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Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Aakash Sahai, PhD, had his work featured as the cover story in 'Advanced Quantum Technologies,' one of the most prominent journals in quantum science, materials and technology.
'It is very exciting because this technology will open up whole new fields of study and have a direct impact on the world,' Sahai said in the press release. 'In the past, we've had technological breakthroughs that propelled us forward, such as the sub-atomic structure leading to lasers, computer chips, and LEDs. This innovation, which is also based on material science, is along the same lines.'
Sahai has developed a way to create extreme electromagnetic fields that have never been seen in a laboratory. The fields are created when electrons in materials vibrate and bounce at rapid speeds, which can in turn power things from computer chips to super particle colliders that are searching for dark matter.
Before this discovery, creating fields that are so strong required using facilities like the 16.7-mile-long Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland, which is very expensive to use and can be volatile.
Sahai developed a silicon-based, chip-like material that can withstand high-energy particle beams, manage energy flow and allow scientists to access electromagnetic fields created by the oscillations of the quantum electron gas, according to CU Denver.
The advancement could see the results achieved at a miles-long collider replicated into a chip about the size of a thumb.
'This breakthrough in technology can make a real change in the world. It is about understanding how nature works and using that knowledge to make a positive impact on the world,' said Kalyan Tirumalasetty, a graduate student in Sahai's lab working on the project.
CU Denver has applied for and received provisional patents for the technology in the United States and internationally.
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The researchers said that real-world application remains years away, but they plan to basically live in the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a facility operated by Stanford University and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, while they continue to develop the technology.
'Gamma ray lasers could become a reality,' Sahai said. 'We could get imaging of tissue down to not just the nucleus of cells but down to the nucleus of the underlying atoms. That means scientists and doctors would be able to see what's going on at the nuclear level, and that could accelerate our understanding of immense forces that dominate at such small scales while also leading to better medical treatments and cures. Eventually, we could develop gamma ray lasers to modify the nucleus and remove cancer cells at the nano level.'
In the immediate future, the pair of researchers will refine the technology that has been in the works since 2018.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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