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

Scientists use tiny light beam to rewrite magnetic memory at high speed

Engineers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have demonstrated a different route using specially engineered light to rewrite magnetic information.

By shaping and shrinking light, engineers alter a material's magnetic properties

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.

Scientists reshape light to control magnetic memory and a material’s magnetic properties

Shrinking and shaping laser beams changed how magnetic domains flipped, opening another route toward faster, denser data storage.

Shaped ultrafast light switches magnetism without an external magnetic field

Engineers reshape and focus ultrafast laser light to switch magnetic states without an external field, advancing prospects for faster optical data storage.

A Tiny Beam of Light Could Change How Computers Store Data

Computer files are stored as patterns of 1s and 0s. In a hard drive, those numbers are represented by tiny magnetic regions pointing in different directions. Changing a region’s direction writes new information. Researchers at the University of California San Diego have shown that carefully shaped light can make that change in a magnetic material. […]

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. Photos by David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering