Optical Near Fields: Introduction to Classical and Quantum Theories of Electromagnetic Phenomena at the Nanoscale

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Using the thin film of light, the optical near field, that is localized on the surface of a nanometric material has removed the diffraction limit as a barrier to imaging on the nano- and atomic scales. But a paradigm shift in the concepts of optics and optical technology is required to understand the instrinsic nature of the near fields and how best to exploit them. Professors Ohstu and Kobayashi crafted Optical Near Fields on the basis of their hypothesis that the full potential for utilizing optical near fields can be realized only with novel nanometric processing, functions, and manipulation, i.e., by controlling the intrinsic interaction between nanometer-sized optical near fields and material systems, and further, atoms. The book presents physically intuitive concepts and theories for students, engineers, and scientists engaged in research in nanophotonics and atom photonics.

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Functional Nanomaterials

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Functional Nanomaterials is the first and unique compilation of the state-of-the-art review chapters covering all aspects of functional nanomaterials and their applications. Nanotechnology has led to a profound paradigm shift after the developments in recent years and after being classified as one of the most important areas of impending technology by the U.S. government. Novel functional nanomaterials are the basis of newly emerging nanotechnologies for various device applications. This book with 30 chapters reflects the tremendous world-wide interest in functional nanostructured ­materials. The wide variety of topics covered in this book is interesting for professionals working in the fundamental and applied research. The book covers major classes of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, carbon and polymer nano­fibers, nano­particles, nanocomposites, nanosheets, fullerenes, supramolecular and self-assembled nano­structures, and many other types of nanomaterials. In addition, this book highlights various physico-chemical properties of different nanostructures such as catalytic, dielectric, magnetic, fluorescent and luminescent properties as well as applications of nanomaterials in sensors, photonics, drug delivery, proteomics, biomolecular electronics, and Homeland Security.

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IBM, ITRI Collaborate to Advance New Solid-State Memory

IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today that it has entered into a joint development agreement with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to further explore “Racetrack Memory,” an entirely new approach to solid state memory. Racetrack Memory was conceived by IBM Fellow Dr. Stuart Parkin at IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA.

“Racetrack Memory is an exciting and highly innovative concept that builds upon IBM’s significant accomplishments in the research and development of nanomaterials and nanodevices based on the manipulation of spin-polarized electrical current,” said Dr. T.C. Chen, IBM Fellow and Vice President, Science & Technology, IBM Research.

In April of this year, IBM announced a milestone in its Racetrack Memory research that could lead to electronic devices capable of storing far more data in the same amount of space than is possible today, with lightning-fast boot times, far lower cost and unprecedented stability and durability. The joint development team, led by Dr. Parkin and ITRI’s Vice President Dr. Ian Chan, will study new materials and structures for Racetrack Memory that could lead to a paradigm shift in storage and memory technologies.

“We expect that our exploration of a wide variety of materials and structures will provide new insight into the dynamics of Racetrack Memory, making possible an entirely new class of information storage devices,” said Dr. Ian Chan, Vice President of ITRI. “This could change the design of information processing systems.”

Racetrack Memory, so named because the data “races” around a nanowire “track,” could lead to solid state electronic devices — with no moving parts, and therefore more durable — capable of holding far more data in the same amount of space than is possible today. For example, this technology could enable a handheld device such as an mp3 player to store around 500,000 songs or around 3,500 movies — 100 times more than is possible today — with far lower cost and power consumption. The devices would not only store vastly more information in the same space, but also require much less power and generate much less heat, and be practically unbreakable; the result: massive amounts of personal storage that could run on a single battery for weeks at a time and last for decades.

Racetrack Memory: A closer look

Racetrack Memory promises a high capacity, non-volatile memory storage device with high performance and low energy consumption. This approach stores data in the form of domain walls — boundaries between oppositely magnetized regions — in magnetic nanowires. Many domain walls are stored in each racetrack, enabling very high data density and thereby low cost — as low as FLASH memory using horizontal racetracks and potentially as low as magnetic disk drives using vertical racetracks. The data within each Racetrack are read and written by shifting them to reading and writing elements. IBM recently demonstrated that short pulses of spin polarized current can be used to controllably move several domain walls back and forth along a racetrack, the key underlying principle of Racetrack Memory. (See Science, April 11, 2008.)

About IBM

For more information about IBM, please visit www.ibm.com.

About ITRI

For more information about ITRI, please visit www.itri.org.tw/eng.