Scientists Create Ultrafast, Light-Controlled Memory with New Material
Scientists have discovered a new way to store digital information using light and a rare class of materials called ferroaxials.
The breakthrough could lead to next-generation memory devices that are faster, more stable, and less vulnerable to damage than today’s technologies.
The study, published in Science, was conducted by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Germany and the University of Oxford.
They found that ferroaxial materials can be switched between two stable states using a single flash of polarized terahertz light, allowing for data to be written and read at incredible speeds without electricity or magnetism.
A single flash of polarized terahertz light can switch ferroaxial materials between two stable states.
Author's summary: New material enables ultrafast light-controlled memory.