Method and system for nanoscale data recording

A method for patterning data recording media, comprising:

• determining portions of one or more data recording media to be written with one or more patterns representing data;
• bringing one or more plasmonic structures within a few tens of nanometers of at least one of the one or more data recording media,
• and, when a plurality of data recording media are present, bringing at least one of the plasmonic structures within a few tens of nanometers of a data recording medium for each of the plurality of data recording media;
• moving each data recording medium relative to the one or more plasmonic structures;
• illuminating said portions of the one or more data recording media using photons while modulating intensity of the photons such that the photon illumination intensity at each data recording medium is affected by both (i) the corresponding plasmonic structure and (ii) the modulation of the photons,
• wherein said modulation of the photons for each of the data recording media corresponds to one of said one or more patterns representing data, and is synchronized with motion of the data recording medium;
• and
• verifying a change in the data recording medium has occurred.