New technology: magnetic recording

http://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2012/research/magnetic-recording/

Visualization of ultrafast heat-induced magnetic switching. Before the laser pulse, the two components of the ferrimagnetic material Fe (Blue) and Gd (Red) are aligned anti-parallel to each other. The 60 femtosecond duration laser pulse rapidly heats the material and this alone induces a transient ferromagnetic-like state, where the Fe and Gd moments are aligned in parallel. After the laser pulse, the moments relax to their usual state, completing a single switching event in less than 5 picoseconds. (Credit: Richard Evans, University of York)

An international team of scientists has demonstrated a revolutionary new way of magnetic recording which will allow information to be processed hundreds of times faster than by current hard drive technology.

The researchers found they could record information using only heat – a previously unimaginable scenario. They believe this discovery will not only make future magnetic recording devices faster, but more energy-efficient too.

The results of the research, which was led by the University of York’s Department of Physics, are reported in the February edition of Nature Communications.