Nano-Structured Glass Acts As New Form Of Computer Memory

Medical imaging equipments and storage devices are costly. University of Southampton research engineers have developed a new type of nano-structured glass which can act as a new form of computer memory. This special glass can be used in optical manipulation and help in reducing the cost of medical imaging. Professor Professor Peter Kazansky of University's Optoelectronics Research Center describes how researchers have developed a monolithic glass space-variant polarization converters from nano-structures. These tiny, millimeter sized devices can change the way light passes through the glass and creates 'whirlpools' of light. These can then be read just like the data in optical fibers.

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Nano Structured Glass: Credit: University Of Southampton

This technique has enabled researchers to develop methods of microscopy that are 20x cheaper than existing ones. For detailed coverage of how the technique works, check out the #-Link-Snipped-#.