Abstract :

The search for novel, rapid-access, non-volatile and multifunctional memory continues at a rapid pace in order to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for enhanced computing and information storage. Complementing this search are questions of what constitutes robust memory and how to optimise their utility. Recent developments in experimental techniques allow one to "see" the basic elements of machine memory and to probe their robustness in both time and space. It appears, perhaps counter-intuitively, that optimally imperfect states of matter are more useful for robust and reliable memory because of their ability to "see, remember and forget at will".