Encoding random hot spots of a volume gold nanorod assembly for ultralow energy memory

Data storage with ultrahigh density, ultralow energy, high security, and long lifetime is highly desirable in the 21st century and optical data storage is considered as the most promising way to meet the challenge of storing big data. Plasmonic coupling in regularly arranged metallic nanoparticles has demonstrated its superior properties in various applications due to the generation of hot spots. Here, the discovery of the polarization and spectrum sensitivity of random hot spots generated in a volume gold nanorod assembly is reported. It is demonstrated that the two-photon-induced absorption and two-photon-induced luminescence of the gold nanorods adjacent to such hot spots are enhanced significantly because of plasmonic coupling. The polarization, wavelength, and spatial multiplexing of the hot spots can be realized by using an ultralow energy of only a few picojoule per pulse, which is two orders of magnitude lower than the value in the state-of-the-art technology that utilizes isolated gold nanorods. The ultralow recording energy reduces the cross-talk between different recording channels and makes it possible to realize rewriting function, improving significantly both the quality and capacity of optical data storage. It is anticipated that the demonstrated technology can facilitate the development of multidimensional optical data storage for a greener future.