Magneto-Optic Disk Storage Definition/Meaning:
A storage technique that uses the magneto-optic
effect to store and retrieve data. The current technique, still in a development
stage (1983), use a laser beam to demagnetize a point on a magnetic
film by heating it above its Curie temperature. Initially a unidirectional
magnetic field is induced in the film. To write on the disk the laser beam and a
magnetic field are applied to a small area and thus small regions (domains) of
opposite polarity to the main field can be generated. To read the information
the disk is scanned by polarized light from a low-power laser. The plane of
polarization of the light reflected from a magnetized surface is rotated
according to the direction of the magnetic field - the Kerr effect. This
rotation can be detected and the original binary signal can be reproduced. The
technique has potential for recording densities many times higher than that
achievable by either conventional or vertical magnetic encoding.
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