3 ms·
Since it requires a pulse from the laser to write does this also mean data will be more durable and less vulnerable to damage from external electromagnetic fiel
by driverdan 15y ago
Since it requires a pulse from the laser to write does this also mean data will be more durable and less vulnerable to damage from external electromagnetic fields?
- mrsebastian 15y agoYep, possibly. It might make it more resistant to EM interference from the sun, or something, but not from a huge electromagnet.
- wmf 15y agoEach bit will be smaller, so maybe they will be more vulnerable.
- DanBC 15y agoHave you ever lost data on a hard drive because of external magnetic fields? For sure, if you get a degausser or other very strong field you will cause damage. But there are two strong magnets inside the case near the platters, so I'm not sure what kind of magnetic field is available in common domestic or office settings that might be harmful.
- mikeash 15y agoMagnetic field strength follows an inverse cube law, so an external magnet would have to be incredibly strong to alter data.
- ars 15y agoMagnetic field strength does not follow any specific dropoff law because it's a dipole. The dropoff depends on how far apart the ends of the poles are. (i.e. from a distance the two poles blend together and average to zero), it also depends on the orientation - are the poles parallel or perpendicular?
- mikeash 15y agoTrue, but for the common case where the distance from the magnet is substantially greater than the distance between the poles, inverse cube is plenty good enough as an approximation.