Researchers at I.B.M.’s Almaden Research Center have discovered a way to store and retrieve data from just 12 atoms. The magnetic storage device is made up of two rows of six iron atoms on the surface of copper nitride. Their placement is possible due to a rare phenomenon called antiferromagnetic, where “each atom in the array has an opposed magnetic orientation.”
Under lab founder Don Eigler, I.B.M. has “explored the science of nanomaterials far smaller than the silicone ships used in today’s semiconductors.” Using a scanning tunneling microscope, researchers “not only capture images” but also “reposition individual atoms.”
To learn more visit The New York Times
