Information storage using a cluster of dipolar-coupled spins

The spin dynamics of a cluster of coupled spins with I=1/2 can be manipulated to store and process large amounts of information. This is possible because the dynamic response of such a system to a low-amplitude radio-frequency pulse results in a coherent long-living signal, and this kind of response can be used to imprint information on the spin cluster. By applying a programmable multi-frequency excitation with low amplitude in an NMR experiment, a large number of long-living signals can be generated simultaneously. Using this approach, the storage of a controllable parallel input of 215 bits in a system of 19 proton spins of a liquid crystal molecule is demonstrated experimentally.