Project description
Antiferromagnetic materials unlock low-energy terahertz data reading and writing
Magnetic information storage is critical to nearly all computing applications across scales. Data ‘writing’, which involves magnetising a section of storage media, requires energy. Because data storage and use are increasing exponentially, energy consumption by data centres is skyrocketing. Controlling the magnetic state of media at increasingly higher rates to enable very fast reading and writing, and simultaneously consuming less energy are mutually exclusive. The European Research Council-funded SPARTACUS project will overcome this fundamental problem and achieve nearly non-dissipative writing of bits at write-rewrite rates greater than one terahertz. They will do so by using antiferromagnets rather than conventional ferromagnets and by applying spectrally and temporally tailored laser pulses that result in efficient light-spin coupling.
Objective
Thermodynamics tells us that controlling the magnetic state of media at increasingly higher rates and simultaneously consuming less energy are mutually exclusive. This fundamental dilemma has dramatic societal and environmental consequences as data centres are rapidly becoming the biggest consumers of electricity world-wide.
SPARTACUS proposes to resolve this fundamental dilemma and thereby to inspire conceptually new technology for ultrafast, nearly non-dissipative data storage.
State-of-the-art data storage and non-volatile memory are predominantly based on ferromagnets. Antiferromagnets possess much faster spin dynamics and can sustain bits writing even at THz rates. However, the lack of a net magnetization in thermodynamic equilibrium requires exceedingly strong magnetic fields to control their magnetic moments. This fact has significantly hindered not only applications, but even fundamental studies of antiferromagnetism.
SPARTACUS aims to overcome this fundamental problem and achieve nearly non-dissipative and fastest writing of bits at write-rewrite rates surpassing the 1 THz landmark. Using spectrally and temporally tailored laser pulses to pump electronic and phononic states mediating efficient light-spin coupling, we will push dielectric antiferromagnets strongly out-of-equilibrium, and explore the susceptibility of spins to external stimuli in this non-equilibrium state. SPARTACUS will develop novel ultrafast magnetometers and reveal yet unexplored non-thermodynamic routes to coherently steer spins to a desired bit state. Coherence-mediated ultrafast mechanisms ensure reversible energy transfer to overcome the potential barrier between stable bit states, minimizing the increase of entropy and leading to vanishing heat load.
Although SPARTACUS is fundamental in nature, its long-term ambition is to shift the paradigm from the conventional, slow, energy consuming ferro- to ultrafast and nearly non-dissipative antiferromagnetic data storage.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicselectromagnetism
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringthermodynamic engineering
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardware
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC - Support for frontier research (ERC)Host institution
6525 XZ Nijmegen
Netherlands