Antiferromagnetic storage device

A system, comprising:

• multiple arrays of magnetic atoms each corresponding to a bit,
• each array of magnetic atoms having at least eight antiferromagnetically coupled magnetic atoms,
• each array of magnetic atoms having at least two readable magnetic states that are stable for at least one picosecond, and
• each array of magnetic atoms having a net magnetic moment of zero or about zero,
• wherein each array of magnetic atoms has magnetic moments that alternate between adjacent magnetic atoms along one or more directions,
• wherein no external stabilizing structure exerts influence over the arrays of magnetic atoms for stabilizing the arrays of magnetic atoms, and
• wherein each array of magnetic atoms has 100 atoms or less along a longest dimension;
• and
• at least one device for altering and/or reading the magnetic state of each of the arrays of magnetic atoms.

A method of reading and/or writing data to an antiferromagnetic nanostructure, the method comprising:

• detecting a magnetic state of one atom of a selected one or more arrays of the antiferromagnetic nanostructure, wherein the antiferromagnetic nanostructure further comprises:
• multiple arrays of magnetic atoms each corresponding to a bit,
• each array of magnetic atoms having at least eight antiferromagnetically coupled magnetic atoms,
• each array of magnetic atoms having at least two readable magnetic states that are stable for at least one picosecond, and
• each array of magnetic atoms having a net magnetic moment of zero or about zero,
• wherein each array of magnetic atoms has magnetic moments that alternate between adjacent magnetic atoms along one or more directions,
• wherein no external stabilizing structure exerts influence over the arrays of magnetic atoms for stabilizing the arrays of magnetic atoms, and
• wherein each array of magnetic atoms has 100 atoms or less along a longest dimension.