Searching data in an instant
Holographic data storage has the unique ability to locate similar features stored within a crystal instantly. A data pattern projected into a crystal from the top searches thousands of stored holograms in parallel. The holograms diffract the incoming light out of the side of the crystal, with the brightest outgoing beams identifying the address of the data that most closely resemble the input pattern. This parallel search capability is an inherent property of holographic data storage and allows a database to be searched by content.