Zelaron Gaming Forum  
Stats Arcade Portal Forum FAQ Members List Social Groups Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Go Back   Zelaron Gaming Forum > The Zelaron Nexus > Science and Art > Science and Technology News

 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes

 
World's smallest storage device lies in the nucleus of an atom
Reply
Posted 2008-10-27, 09:19 AM
Someday, you might take business data off a disk drive and move it into the nucleus of an atom.

Scientists have demonstrated what is being called the "ultimate miniaturization of computer memory," storing data for nearly 2 seconds in the nucleus of an atom. This is a key step in the development of quantum computers, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Using a new technique, an international team of scientists "demonstrated that information stored in the nucleus has a lifetime of about 1 ¾ seconds," the NSF says in a press release describing a new study in the journal Nature. "This is significant because before this technique was developed, the longest researchers could preserve quantum information in silicon was less than one-tenth of a second. Other researchers studying quantum computing recently calculated that if a quantum system could store information for at least 1 second, error correction techniques could then protect that data for an indefinite period of time."

The scientists, from Princeton University, Oxford University and the U.S. Department of Energy, broke the 1-second barrier with a system that uses the electron and nucleus of a phosphorous atom embedded in a silicon crystal. The electron and nucleus each behaved like tiny "quantum magnets" that could store quantum information, but the instability of the electron made it unsuitable for storing information. "To overcome the problem, researchers moved the information into the nucleus where it survived much longer," the NSF states. Data in the electron cloud, which is a million times bigger than the nucleus, can be manipulated, thus serving as a "middle-man" between the nucleus and the outside world, researchers say.

"Nobody really knew how long a nucleus might hold quantum information in this system," Princeton researcher Steve Lyon says in the press release. "With crystals painstakingly grown … and very careful measurements, we were delighted to see memory times exceeding the [one-second] threshold."

Under the theory of quantum mechanics, atoms and other objects can exist in multiple states, literally being in two places at once. In quantum computing, each individual piece of information could thus have more than one value simultaneously.


Source: http://edge.networkworld.com/news/20...ge-device.html

Last edited by Chruser; 2008-12-21 at 03:03 PM.
Old
Profile PM WWW Search
Sum Yung Guy seldom sees opportunities until they cease to beSum Yung Guy seldom sees opportunities until they cease to beSum Yung Guy seldom sees opportunities until they cease to beSum Yung Guy seldom sees opportunities until they cease to be
 
 
Sum Yung Guy
 



 
Reply
Posted 2008-10-27, 09:48 AM in reply to Sum Yung Guy's post "World's smallest storage device lies in..."
It would be nice to know what error correction techniques they have in mind.

Also, the NSF are terrorists.
"Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica and is widely regarded as the most important innovator in scientific and technical computing today." - Stephen Wolfram
Old
Profile PM WWW Search
Chruser shouldn't have fed itChruser shouldn't have fed itChruser shouldn't have fed itChruser shouldn't have fed itChruser shouldn't have fed it
 
 
Chruser
 



 
Reply
Posted 2008-10-27, 10:02 AM in reply to Chruser's post starting "It would be nice to know what error..."
I'm probably not going to ask the most intellectual questions but..

1.) How much storage can the nucleus actually hold?
2.) How did they manage to track the time information was in the nucleus?
Old
Profile PM WWW Search
Kazilla has an imagination enthroned in its own recess, incomprehensible as from darknessKazilla has an imagination enthroned in its own recess, incomprehensible as from darknessKazilla has an imagination enthroned in its own recess, incomprehensible as from darkness
 
Kazilla
 



 
Reply
Posted 2008-10-27, 10:19 AM in reply to Kazilla's post starting "I'm probably not going to ask the most..."
2.) Using scientific methods.
Old
Profile PM WWW Search
Sum Yung Guy seldom sees opportunities until they cease to beSum Yung Guy seldom sees opportunities until they cease to beSum Yung Guy seldom sees opportunities until they cease to beSum Yung Guy seldom sees opportunities until they cease to be
 
 
Sum Yung Guy
 



 
Reply
Posted 2008-10-27, 12:14 PM in reply to Chruser's post starting "It would be nice to know what error..."
Probably, they mean they can use standard ECC to keep the information reliable. In the case of longer term storage, they would probably need to scan and refresh the memory periodically, like modern DRAM; using ECC would assure that the data written back is reliable. This is assuming, that the 1.75 seconds is an average and not a sure thing. If they could guarantee that the information would remain for that time period, I see no reason why it couldn't be treated like normal DRAM.
Old
Profile PM WWW Search
WetWired read his obituary with confusionWetWired read his obituary with confusionWetWired read his obituary with confusionWetWired read his obituary with confusion
 
 
WetWired
 
 

Bookmarks

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules [Forum Rules]
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
SanDisk USB storage device Original Sin Tech Help 7 2005-12-27 02:15 PM
Postbit of NUCLEUS.... tacoX Forum News, Suggestions and Discussion 6 2002-09-26 05:47 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:24 PM.
'Synthesis 2' vBulletin 3.x styles and 'x79' derivative
by WetWired the Unbound and Chruser
Copyright ©2002-2008 zelaron.com
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
This site is best seen with your eyes open.