Magnetic recording with acoustic waves

We demonstrate acoustically assisted magnetic recording (AAMR), a new paradigm in magnetic data storage. In this concept, otherwise unwriteable high-coercivity media, requisite for thermally stable high-density data storage, are made amenable to recording by lowering their coercivity via strain induced by surface acoustic waves. The basic principles of AAMR are proven using galfenol, a low-coercivity magnetostrictive material, as the recording medium. It is shown that the writing field needed to record data in the presence of acoustic strain is lower than the coercivity of the unstrained galfenol film. Further, it is demonstrated that interference between acoustic waves can be tailored to selectively address a bit on the recording medium.