By shaping and shrinking light, engineers alter a material's magnetic properties
Engineers at UC San Diego have developed a method to switch magnetic states in materials using ultrafast laser beams instead of external magnetic fields. This technique allows for more precise, faster, and energy-efficient control of magnetic bits in data storage.
Why it matters
This breakthrough could lead to the development of significantly faster and more energy-efficient data storage technologies, potentially increasing data density.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source 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. Credit: David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering 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 .
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