Atomic memory. Comparison of three data storage media including,at right,one that uses single atoms to represent data. At left are the surfaces of a CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory,upper) and a DVD (digital versatile disc,lower). The right image,from a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM),is magnified 1000 times more than the two at left. It shows individual atoms (white),which hold data in the same way as the pits (white) on the CD and DVD. Such data can be written and read using an STM. This research was done at the Universities of Basel,Switzerland,and Madison,Wisconsin,USA |