Research activities in the group are focused on adventurous and potentially high impact research in optics, quantum and physical electronics. Currently researchers are working to create a way to store data in a superdense form for centuries, using nanostructured glass. Researchers at the University of Southampton are moulding silica glass into a very stable and safe form of portable memory, which could be utilised by organisations with large archives. Coined as the super memory crystal, the data is recorded via self-assembled nanostructures created in fused quartz. The storage method potentially allows for up to 360 terabytes of data capacity per disk (enough to hold 72 million photos) and a practically unlimited lifetime, in addition to thermal stability up to 1000°C.
