Method and apparatus for mass data storage

A method for decoding high density data encoded in a digital recording media as a series of tags comprising an information bit pattern including a tracking bit pattern, the method comprising the steps of:

• 1) providing an apparatus, said apparatus comprising:
• i) a source of electromagnetic radiation for generating an incident wave;
• ii) means for directing at least a portion of the incident wave to the media;
• iii) a scatterer probe acting as an antenna and capable of re-radiating a signal wave, said signal wave developing as an interactive coupling between a tag and said scatterer probe;
• iv) means for creating an interference signal based on the signal wave and a reference wave;
• v) a high-speed detector for interrogating at least one of the phase and amplitude of the interference signal as a read-out signal;
• vi) means for interpreting and reproducing the read-out signal;
• and
• vii) means for detecting the tracking bit pattern and for controlling the reproduction of the information bit pattern;
• and
• 2) accessing the high density data by engaging the media with the apparatus such that the scatterer probe can develop the interactive coupling with each of the series of tags in the presence of the incident wave so that a binary state can be defined.