A paper was published in the journal Nature Photonics in which scientists from the China University of Science and technologies in Hefei presents a high-density optical recording technology capable of storing data for millions of years. A diamond optical disc, the size of a regular DVD, can hold 10,000 times more information than the DVD itself.
Technologies for truly long-term data storage are still in their infancy. To date, perhaps the most advanced solution is the production of CDs with a pure gold backing. In general, optical storage devices proved insufficiently durable, and alternative technologies in the form of holographic recording simply disappeared. But attempts to create a voluminous and durable digital carrier of information continue. It can be quartz glass or diamond. In addition, diamond adds to its high optical qualities the highest structural stability and, as a result, the promise of longer information storage.
According to Chinese researchers, a diamond media created using their technology will be able to store recorded information for millions of years. As for the direct recording and reading of data, ultra-fast lasers with a pulse duration of about 200 fs are used for this. The pulses encode data into the diamond's atomic structure, dislodging the carbon atoms from the crystal lattice. The number of atoms knocked out - the appearance of vacancies or "empties" points in the structure of the diamond carrier - determines the brightness of the reaction and carries information that can be extracted.