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Researchers from the University of Leeds and Sheffield University have created a way to move data through magnetic nanowires by using surface acoustic waves as the motivating force. Being developed for use in so-called racetrack solid-state memory, the researchers claim that using sound waves for data transfer should markedly increase computer processing speeds while vastly reducing power consumption.
[...] Looking for a way to overcome these power inefficiencies, Dr Tom Hayward from the University of Sheffield and Professor John Cunningham from the University of Leeds together hit upon the idea of manipulating magnetic domain walls by passing two counter-propagating surface acoustic waves (SAW) across the piezoelectric substrate to which the nanowires are fixed.
In other words, the researchers sent two sound waves across the surface of a racetrack memory in opposite directions. Where the sound waves met, a standing acoustic wave was formed which was then used to isolate and manipulate the arrays for the more efficient movement of energy across the magnetic domain walls.
Pretty neat. But will it drive your dog crazy?
(Score: 3, Informative) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Thursday November 12 2015, @11:40AM
these are described in great detail by Hodges in "Alan Turing: The Enigma".
Filled with liquid Mercury, the long narrow tube had a voice coil at one end - the driver from a speaker - and a microphone at the other. At their very best they could store two kilobytes. When you wanted to read a particular address, you had to wait for that address' pulse to arrive at the microphone.
The never worked very well at all and so were abandoned for magnetic drum memory. Even so, Turing and his collaborators - University of Manchester? - persisted for quite some time and so filed some patents for improvements. All those patents will be long-expired and might yield some useful insight.
Consider what one could do with Turing's patents, papers and notebooks but today's acoustic technology. Maybe Bose and Monster Cable could collaborate for such a Mercury Acoustic Delay Line that would fit in your iPhone.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]