Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!elroy!aero!sm.unisys.com!csun!polyslo!dorourke
From: dorourke@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (David M. O'Rourke)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: The NeXT Problem
Keywords: Curie point, local heating
Message-ID: <5098@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU>
Date: 27 Oct 88 16:40:19 GMT
References: <26435@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <7774@gryphon.CTS.COM> <1490@imagine.PAWL.RPI.EDU> <896@vsi.COM> <4144@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: dorourke@polyslo.UUCP (David M. O'Rourke)
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 24

In article <4144@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM> larryh@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM (Larry Hutchinson) writes:
>Does anyone know if this bit about the Kerr effect is true?  Since the
>Kerr effect (pronounced car, I am told) is an electro-optical effect
>I don't see where the magnetic field comes into play (except to change
>the crystal domain direction).  I keep wondering if someone is confusing
>Faraday rotation (which is magnetic field dependent) with Kerr.
>Anybody have any references?

  IEEE Spectrum, Optical Disk become Writeable, 1988, Feburary I think.  And
the posters are correct, it is the Kerr effect.  I don't understand all of the
physics involved, but I can visulize the base effect. But I'll go out on a limb
about {disclaimer coming: please no flames!!} "SOMETHING I KNOW VERY LITTLE"
about.  Could it be that Kerr's effect has it's roots somewhere in Faraday's
law?

  Anyways the IEEE article is very enlightning.  It explains exactly how the
drive in the Next machine works, or at least a close relative of the drive in
the NeXT machine.  If more people would read the article then there wouldn't
be so much confusion.
-- 
David M. O'Rourke                                  dorourke@polyslo.calpoly.edu

"If it doesn't do Windows, then it's not a computer!!!"
Disclaimer: I don't represent the school.  All opinions are mine!