Laser-Hard Drives in the Making
Monday, 26. January 2009, 09:54:48
Recent advancements might finally open the door to a new storage technology that will merge optical and magnetic technologies, leading to high capacity storage devices reaching speeds thousands of times that of existing storage technologies, while boasting improved reliability.
In 2006 Dr. Daniel Stanciu (then working on his Ph.D.) and Dr. Fredrik Hansteen discovered a way to use light to change the polarity of a magnet. Even more impressive was the fact that it only took an extremely short laser pulse of about 40 femtoseconds (an unimaginably short time equal to one millionth of a nanosecond) in order to switch a magnet. According to Stanciu, back in 2006, conventional wisdom in the field considered this feat to be impossible. Even Stanciu’s Professor did not believe the young researcher until the latter demonstrated the switch in the lab.
Source: http://thefutureofthings.com/news/6186/laser-hard-drives-in-the-making.html
In 2006 Dr. Daniel Stanciu (then working on his Ph.D.) and Dr. Fredrik Hansteen discovered a way to use light to change the polarity of a magnet. Even more impressive was the fact that it only took an extremely short laser pulse of about 40 femtoseconds (an unimaginably short time equal to one millionth of a nanosecond) in order to switch a magnet. According to Stanciu, back in 2006, conventional wisdom in the field considered this feat to be impossible. Even Stanciu’s Professor did not believe the young researcher until the latter demonstrated the switch in the lab.
Source: http://thefutureofthings.com/news/6186/laser-hard-drives-in-the-making.html
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