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- Crystal Memory, Science Vibes, A Game of Lagrangians, and the End of the Universe
Crystal Memory, Science Vibes, A Game of Lagrangians, and the End of the Universe
This week’s science bits from SWTG
Sabine Hossenfelder
February 26, 2025
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Crystals Set Record for Memory Storage Density
Examples of successful data storage and readout in multiple layers. Source: Zhou et al, Nature Photonics 18, 1327 (2024)
Researchers at USTC in China have developed a new method for storing digital data in lab-grown, diamond plates that could revolutionise long-term data storage. The team used lasers to create tiny imperfections in the diamond, called vacancy centers, to represent data bits. When poked with other lasers, the imperfections respond by emitting light that allows for reading the data. They reached a storage density of 14.8 terabits per cubic centimeter, about ten times higher than current optical storage systems. This is interesting research not only because the storage density is so high, but also because it has the potential to be extremely durable, potentially lasting for millions of years without maintenance. Paper here.
This week’s episode of Science News is about the end of the universe… as told by CERN? According to the incoming director of CERN, Mark Thomson, the large hadron collider (LHC) can tell us whether or not the universe will fall apart into pure energy. What is he even talking about? Here’s a brief summary.
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Vast Majority of Europeans Think Renewable Energy is Good
A recent Eurobarometer survey in the E.U. and the U.K. found that 83% view science and technology positively, with 67% agreeing these fields make lives “easier, healthier, and more comfortable.” 87% agree that renewable energy will have a positive effect in the next 20 years, but a whopping 25% say they don’t trust scientific research created with the help of AI. I understand this – I will only start trusting AI when I can sue it for making mistakes.
George R. R. Martin Publishes Physics Paper
George R. R. Martin, that prolific author and TV producer best known for the fantasy book series that was adapted as “Game of Thrones,” has teamed up with a physicist to publish a peer-reviewed paper. Titled “Ergodic Lagrangian dynamics in a superhero universe,” I was relieved to see that it’s meant to be a teaching aid for certain mathematical techniques that are common in undergraduate courses, and not a proposal for alternative physics. Honestly, I think this paper is more useful than most of what gets published in gr-qc these days.
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