Scientists claim to have revealed a pathway to a new kind of “efficient, ultra-high-density optical memory storage.” A recently published paper, penned by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME), says an optical memory breakthrough harnessed classical physics and quantum modeling. Specifically, the researchers hope to revive the fortunes of optical storage with the help of a mix of rare earth elements and quantum defects.
To address the data storage crunch, researchers are always looking for faster, high-density, more efficient, and more affordable ways to store the ever-increasing digital information deluge. Optical storage was a popular and widespread solution, even becoming standard in laptops where device space is seriously constrained. However, only people of a certain age now remember the sacred ritual of burning DVDs.
