A new technology, still in its infancy, could revolutionize data storage devices, merging optical and magnetic technologies. A discovery made in 2006 by Dr. Daniel Stanciu and Dr. Frederick Hansteen that uses light to change the polarity of a magnet is being researched and worked on by physicists around the world. Called all-optical magnetization reversal, it could be applied to storage drives that are more reliable than current devices yet are thousands of times faster. The idea involves using a short laser pulse of about 40 femtoseconds in order to switch a magnet's polarity and therefore write data.

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