Holographic data storage is looking promising apart from one little problem: reading the data tends to erase it. Now researchers at Caltech in Pasadena have proposed a solution using a two-colour approach. They dope the holographic crystal with iron and manganese to create two deep electron "traps". This allows ultraviolet light to store data as an interference pattern which can be read by red light. UV is also used to erase the data. The research is published in the current edition of
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