A new method of storing data lengthens the life-span of data carriers to thousands of years.

Researchers at Southampton University were able to rearrange atoms in a piece of glass by using laser technique. The pattern of atoms can be employed to represent binary data. By sending a light beam through the glass, the atoms refract the light in a certain way, which can be read as data.

Glass as data carrier could replace current hard disk technology in the future. The magnetically stored data patterns on hard disks disintegrate after five or ten years. Glass can keep its structural integrity for thousands of years. Also, glass is water resistant and can withstand temperatures up to 1,800 degrees F (982 C).

The glass is rewritable. The lasers can be applied again and again to rearrange the atomic structure of the glass.

An article with the findings of the research was published in the scientific journal of Applied Physics Letters.

Source: The Telegraph
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