We demonstrate a method of permanent optical recording of digital data which exploits a fast photoisomerization of nonlinear molecules, followed by a slow permanent alignment within a polymer. Write and erase cycles are initiated by rapidly photoisomerizing azobenzene molecules into an intermediate state with a larger mobility. The molecules align or randomly orient within the polymer depending on the presence or absence of an electric field. During orientation, relaxation to a stable isomer occurs and the alignment becomes permanent. The recorded information can then be nondestructively read by second-harmonic generation. Nanosecond optical exposures were used, demonstrating that extremely fast recording rates are possible.
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Hill et al. (1995) studied this question.