By Shaping and Shrinking Light, Engineers Alter a Material’s Magnetic Properties

Using a specially engineered beam of light from an ultrafast laser, UC San Diego engineers demonstrate a new approach to switch magnetic information in materials without using an external magnetic field.

A specially designed optical system (foreground) shrinks, shapes and concentrates light from a femtosecond laser (left) in order to produce optical switching in a magnetic material.

A sample of magnetic material undergoes optical switching.

Newswise — A new approach that uses light to switch the magnetic states of a material could lead to faster, smaller and more energy-efficient data storage.

Engineers at the University of California San Diego published their findings in Nature Communications .