Diamonds can store data stably for long periods of time
University of Science and Technology of China
The famous marketing slogan about how diamond is forever may be overkill for a diamond-based system capable of storing information for millions of years, and now researchers have created one with a record storage density of 1.85 terabytes per cubic centimeter. .
Previous techniques have also used laser pulses to encode data into diamonds, but the higher storage density offered by the new method can hold roughly 100 terabytes of data on a diamond optical disc the same volume as a standard Blu-ray disc. 2000 Blu-rays – while lasting far longer than a typical Blu-ray’s lifespan of a few decades.
“When internal data storage structures are stabilized using our technology, diamond can achieve incredible longevity (keeping data for millions of years at room temperature) without requiring any maintenance,” he says. Yes Money at Hefei University of Science and Technology of China.
Wang and his colleagues worked with tiny pieces of diamond just a few millimeters long, although they say future versions of the system could be in the form of larger storage disks. Their method used ultrafast laser pulses to displace some of a diamond’s carbon atoms, leaving empty spaces the size of single atoms that each exhibited a stable level of brightness.
By controlling the laser’s energy, the researchers could make multiple empty spaces in specific areas of the diamond, and the density of these spaces affected the overall brightness of each area. “The number of empty sites can be determined by looking at the clarity, which allows us to read the stored information,” says Wang.
The team saved the images, incl by Eadweard Muybridge A sequence of photographs from 1878 showing a knight on horseback, mapping the brightness of each pixel to the brightness levels of specific areas within the diamond. The system stored this data with 99 percent accuracy and completeness.
This storage method is not yet commercially viable because it requires expensive lasers and high-speed fluorescence imaging cameras, along with other devices, Wang says. But he and his colleagues hope that their diamond-based system can eventually be miniaturized to fit into a space the size of a microwave oven.
“In the short term, government agencies, research institutes and libraries focused on archiving and data preservation would be eager to adopt this technology,” he says.
Topics:
