Data crystal
From The Great Machine
Contents |
[edit] Background
The data crystal is the standard for data storage and transfer in the Earth Alliance. It is a hybrid of Centauri technology, which Earth was given when the two races met in the 22nd century, along with a host of other technologies. As former members of the Centauri Republic, many members of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds have come to use the technology.
[edit] Physical Characteristics
The crystals are created in zero gravity, giving it a perfect crystal lattice, and are shaped - both externally and internally - by a complex series of lasers. Data crystals are harder than diamond due to their perfect formation and can survive in extreme temperatures.
[edit] Data Characteristics
Laser refraction used during construction creates a system of complex holographic information that can represent images or mathematical progressions of data. This information is stored by altering the structure of the crystal itself, giving the data stored on it an indefinite lifespan.
Their storage capacity is limited only by the size of the crystal lattice, thus giving a 4cm crystal data storage on the order of hundreds of petabytes (1 petabyte = 1 million gigabytes). Likewise, the transfer speed for both reading and writing to the data crystal is limited by the surface area of the crystal. The hexagonal shape of the standard data crystal gives it a transfer speed of tens of gigabytes per second.
[edit] Security
Aside from the standard encryption, keys, passwords, and biometrics used in almost all types of data storage medium, the holographic matrix itself can "scrambled," so that the system it is used on must know the quantum encryption key, which tells the system how to rearrange the information present in the matrix into a usable format.
