Superfast data processing speeds with near-zero energy consumption demonstrated using magnets and light pulses

Technique co-developed by scientists at Lancaster University is high scalable, claim the researchers

A joint team of scientists from across Europe claim to have solved the dilemma of creating superfast data processing speeds with almost zero energy consumption.

The scientists, from Lancaster University, Regensburg University, Radboud University and the Russian Academy of Sciences, claim that the new technique is highly energy efficient as it uses only magnets and light pulses, in place of electricity, to store data.

Conventional magnetic hard-drives use an orientation of minuscule magnets, called spins, to encode data in the form of 0 or 1 (binary digits). To read (or write) data from hard-drives, a magnetic head is used, which releases a large amount of energy during the read/write process.

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In order to cool large computing systems (such as data centre servers), more electricity is required, which further increases the cost of such systems.

To solve the problem, the researchers, in the current study, used ultrashort pulses of light - at a duration of one trillionth of a second - and focused them on specially-crafted antennas on the top of a magnet. The aim of using the antenna on top of the magnet was to improve the electric field of the light.

In the process, the research team also utilised an efficient interaction mechanism to achieve coupling between electric field and spins.

This novel technique enabled scientists to navigate the magnetisation of the magnet to new orientation in one trillionth of a second.

The magnet's temperature was also observed to be stable during the entire process that required energy of just one photon for each spin.

According to Dr Mikhaylovskiy, the lead researcher of the study, this new technique is "scalable" as there is negligible energy loss.

"Future storage deviGraces would also exploit the excellent spatial definition of antenna structures enabling practical magnetic memories with simultaneously maximal energy efficiency and speed," he added.

The team now plans to conduct further experiments to determine the energy and speed limitations of magnetic recording.

Those experiments will be conducted using accelerators at the Cockroft Institute and a superfast laser at Lancaster University, enabling scientists to produce intense pulses for magnetic switching.

The detailed findings of the study are published in journal Nature.

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