摘要 |
A high density volumetric optical memory stores information in three dimensions by selectively activating a photochemical branching reaction from a short-lived thermal intermediate of the primary photocycle of a light-transducing protein storage medium. A paging laser actuates a selected planar sheet or page of the medium at one wavelength, and data lasers send selected data beams at another wavelength orthogonal to the selected page. In a preferred mode, the medium is bacteriorhodopsin, and the paging beam raises the photocycle from the ground or resting state bR to an intermediate O, and the data beams interact with the O intermediate to create branch species P and Q. The data beams do not interract strongly with bR or with the P or Q. A differential read operation can employ the same paging and data wavelengths. Preferably a partial conversion only is required, with [95 % bR, 5 % P + Q] representing "0" and [90 % bR, 10 % P + Q] representing "1". 00000 |