We’ve all seen it before in movies: some technologically advanced person (usually a scientist or co-pilot) pulls a floating screen of data out of nowhere and starts crunching away. Typically reserved for science fiction, holograms like these are becoming more of a reality. The driving principle behind a holographic imaging, known as diffraction, is flawed in that the pixels that create a 3D image aren’t close enough in size to light waves. The technology to correct this isn’t capable or cost-effective enough.

One scientist has found a way around this. A crystal from a material called lithium niobate has layers that guide the light that passes through it. The channels the light passes through, called waveguides, contain electrodes that slightly alter the shape of the crystal. The three previous waveguides needed per pixel are reduced to one. This creates a more efficient scattering effect necessary for 3D holographic images. Eventually we’ll all feel like we’re all in Tony Stark’s lab.

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With the invention of the ‘Superman memory crystal,’ scientists have found a better use for a piece of quartz than the New Age industry. They’ve created what is seemingly the world’s most amazing zip drive.

Working at the University of Southampton, the researchers surpassed the 3D realm, recording and retrieving five dimensions of digital data in the form of a quartz crystal. Besides presumably being able to steer L. Ron Hubbard’s mothership, the Superman memory crystal boasts a 360 terabyte per disc hard drive, a 1000 degree thermal capacity and an almost endless lifetime.

Self-assembled nanostructures created in quartz store the data, which is “realized in five dimensions,” according to a press release. “The self-assembled nanostructures change the way light travels through glass, modifying polarization of light that can then be read by combination of optical microscope and a polarizer, similar to that found in Polaroid sunglasses.”

The post Mega Quartz Crystal Storage Drives Will Hold Data Forever first appeared on Gajitz.