Can data be stored on single atoms?

Researchers at IBM will have two papers published in the journal Science this week detailing how it may be possible to use individual atoms, or groups of atoms, to store data or act as a transistor.

The work revolves around harnessing magnetic anisotropy, a property of atoms. Something is anisotrophic if it has different values when it faces in different directions. If a substance is anisotrophic and the orientation of the substance can be controlled, then the orientation--the theory goes--of the atom can come to represent the 1s and 0s of digital computing.

Which way do I go?

(Credit: IBM)

Potentially, atomic-level storage or switching could result in incredibly tiny computers. With atomic storage, you could fit a 1,000 trillion bits of information in an iPod, according to IBM estimates. (Editors' note: This article originally had an incorrect figure for the number of bits--we were off by several zeros. The correct number is indeed 1,000 trillion.)

In the first paper, titled "Large Magnetic Anisotropy of a Single Atomic Spin Embedded in a Surface Molecular Network," researchers described how they arranged individual iron atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope on a specially prepared copper surface. With the atoms in place, the researchers were then able to measure the strength and orientation of the anisotrophy of the individual atoms.

The second paper, meanwhile, describes the performance of a switch created from two hydrogen atoms inside an organic molecule called naphthalocyanine. Researchers have made single-atom switches before, but the molecules had a tendency to change shapes. This problem has not, so far, surfaced in the IBM molecular switch. (Interestingly, IBM discovered the properties of naphthalocyanine by accident. It was studying the molecule in a separate project, on vibration.)

[satayboy]

trillion bits in an iPod

"Potentially, atomic-level storage or switching could result in incredibly tiny computers. With atomic storage, you could fit a trillion bits of information in an iPod, according to IBM estimates."

But of course you can fit 640 billion bits of information in an 80Gb iPod today.

[pjhenry1216]

i was gonna say the same thing...

it doesn't seem to be a huge jump there. we'd have 125GB* iPods instead. I mean, that's around 156.5% increase, but thats not ridiculous or anything. Unless the article is referring to iPod nanos... in which case... it would be a bit of a jump... approx. 1565% increase in capacity (assuming 8gig nano model).

* - Apple's measurements of a Gigabyte (1 billion bytes)

[gsman11]

mistake?

i had to re-read that a couple of times because it just did not seem impressive at all. 1 trillion bits is something like 125 GB if my math serves me correctly. 80 GB ipods are currently available and with advancements in hard drive technology such as perpendicular recording, i would imagine that 125gb could be surpassed without "atomic level" storage techniques.

using individual atoms seems completely impractical. accomplishing this in a clean room in a bunker using electron microscopes is quite a bit different than an ultra portable device that will be exposed to shock, temperature change, etc.

[deckerr3]

mistake

If you look here http://www.informationweek.com/news/
showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201803325 .. they meant to say
1,000 trillion bits, a significant increase over the 80 gb iPod,
Rob

[michael kanellos]

Correct you are

It sounded really low when I was typing. I forgot to put in the 1,000 part. Must stop typing with my feet. Tnanks for seeing that.