Optical storage Optical storage Optical storage is the storage of data on an optically readable medium. Data is recorded by making marks in a pattern that can be read back with the aid of light, usually a beam of laser light precisely focused on a spinning optical disc. An older example of optical storage that does not require the use of computers, is microform. There are other means of optically storing data and new methods are in development. An optical disc drive is a device in a computer that can read CD-ROMs or other optical discs, such as DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
Optical medium Optical medium An optical medium is material through which electromagnetic waves propagate. It is a form of transmission medium. The permittivity and permeability of the medium define how electromagnetic waves propagate in it. The medium has an "intrinsic impedance", given by where formula_2 and formula_3 are the electric field and magnetic field, respectively. In a region with no electrical conductivity, the expression simplifies to: For example, in free space the intrinsic impedance is called the characteristic impedance of vacuum, denoted "Z", and Waves propagate through a medium with velocity formula_6, where formula_7 is the frequency and formula_8 is the wavelength