Final answer:
Optical storage technology uses refracted laser light to store data on a photoreceptive substrate, with CDs and Blu-ray discs being common examples. Shorter-wavelength lasers allow for greater storage capacity, and the precise spacing of pits created by the laser enables the high data density that characterizes optical storage mediums.
Step-by-step explanation:
Using refracted laser light to store data on a photoreceptive substrate is essentially how optical storage works. This technology includes mediums like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs, where data is stored in the form of laser-created pits on a surface. These pits represent digital information that is read by a laser scattering off the pit surfaces, translating the patterns into readable data. Optical storage devices leverage the precision of laser technology, with shorter-wavelength lasers enabling greater storage capacity due to their ability to create smaller pits, hence allowing more data to be stored in a given area. The data capacity of such devices is quite impressive, where a single cubic millimeter could theoretically store gigabytes of data.
In a Blu-ray system, the data is densely packed thanks to the use of a laser with a wavelength of 405 nm, achieving a data density of 1.5 × 10⁷ bits mm⁻². Using the formula for resolution, Resolution = 0.60(2/NA), where NA is the numerical aperture, this system allows for a very high-resolution, meaning data can be stored very close together. The high information-storage capacity of optical storage devices, such as Blu-ray discs, particularly surpasses that of previous technologies like audio and video cassette tapes, enabling an entire encyclopedia to be stored on a single CD.