Faster signal storage and optical processing in nanomachined devices edge closer to realization

A system that has only two possible stable states, such as a light switch, is called bistable by scientists and engineers. Bistability in microscale devices could pave the way to compact optical switching and memory elements. In the bistable systems found so far, however, switching between states takes too long to make the approach practical. Now, thanks to the recent observation of bistability in an array of micrometer-sized rings, fast microscale optical switches in novel photonic devices are a step closer to development.

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