Scientists stored data in rare-earth crystal which could one day delivery terabyte-class storage the size of a small grain of rice

• Scientists at UChicago PME develop a new atomic-scale data storage method
• Their approach uses crystal defects to store data as ones and zeroes
• Research combines quantum science, optical storage, and radiation dosimetry

All digital systems use bits, represented as ones and zeroes, to store, compute, and manage data. Storage device size has long been restricted by the physical scale of the binary data units, but scientists at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have come up with an intriguing solution.

Their new method for data storage manipulates atomic-scale crystal defects - microscopic gaps where atoms are missing - so they can hold an electrical charge, allowing them to be designated as “ones” and “zeroes,” much like in binary data storage.

“It’s impossible to find crystals - in nature or artificial crystals - that don’t have defects,” explained Leonardo França, the study's first author. “So what ...