Holographic storage uses light and holography to create data storage that is larger and faster than magnetic or optical storage. It can be used for write-once and rewritable storage, but other options may be more cost-effective. Holography uses two beams of light to create a “record” of an image or data that can be retrieved later. A holographic storage device uses this technology to store data on photosensitive materials. Holographic storage can store more data in the same physical space and access data bits in a parallel fashion, making it faster than other media. Some crystals can be used for rewritable holographic storage.
Holographic storage is a type of data storage that uses light and holography to create data storage that can be significantly larger and faster than magnetic or optical storage devices. Several companies have been working on creating storage devices that use holography to write and read data. Ultimately, despite the potential benefits inherent in this type of archiving, other data archiving options may prove to be more immediately viable and cost-effective. Holographic storage can be used for both write-once storage and rewritable storage, although the latter requires somewhat more complicated technology.
Holography is the use of light, typically two distinct beams of light or energy, to produce a ‘record’ of an image or data that can be later retrieved through the use of light. This has historically been used to produce three-dimensional (3D) holographic images, using light to create a “record” of an object on a surface of light-sensitive material. The 3D image can then be recreated using only light.
A holographic storage device would use the same technology to create “records” not for the purpose of creating 3D images, but for the purpose of storing data on photosensitive materials which could then be housed within a hard drive or similar storage device. Basically two laser beams are used: one is called the reference beam and the other the illumination or signal beam. The two beams create an interference pattern that is imprinted on a photosensitive material, just like in creating a holographic image. By using another laser beam at the same angle, data in holographic storage can be retrieved and displayed on a computer screen in the same way that data is retrieved from a magnetic or optical storage device.
Optical and magnetic storage methods record data in strings of single bits of information, and holographic storage uses the same process. A small area used in holographic storage, however, can contain a lot of effectively overlapping data, and this can be accessed by changing the angle of the beams used. This means that the same amount of physical space used in holography can store far more data than is possible compared to magnetic or optical storage.
Holographic storage can also access data bits in a parallel fashion, across the beam of light, rather than one bit at a time, making data recording and retrieval significantly faster than with other media. However, most photosensitive material can only provide a single write-down of data, although the information can be read numerous times and will likely last up to a century. Some types of crystals could probably be used for rewritable holographic storage because some crystals have properties, called the photorefractive effect, that allow holograms to be recorded and changed many times.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
