This research investigates communications, coding and data security for next-generation magnetic and optical disk recording systems. Today's magnetic and optical disk recording systems are remarkable engineering accomplishments not only in terms of storage capacity, but especially in terms of cost. The technology inside magnetic hard disk drives integrates magnetics, servo control, high-speed motors, read-write heads, and signal processing into a remarkably low cost product. Optical disk systems are the similar - lenses, lasers, servo and speed control and signal processing for a system where the disk is removable and must be playable on millions of other standardized players. The low cost nature of the products place severe constraints on the algorithms that can be implemented in these systems - and even with this the methods that have been employed are significant. From an engineering perspective the challenge is to make these systems practical, high-performing, and cost-effective. This research addresses these challenges.
The investigators study the following topics in this work: I) Signal processing and equalization: beyond partial response, ii) iterative timing recovery: synchronization that exploits coding, iii) Constrained coding: flipping and sliding, stuffing and interleaving, iv) new security paradigms for recording systems. The team consists of two PIs, John Barry and Steven McLaughlin, who have worked in the area of communications, coding, and signal processing for magnetic and optical recording for a combined total of more than twenty-five years. The team has made numerous contributions in this area, particularly in iterative techniques for coding and timing recovery, constrained coding, and novel M-ary formats for optical recording.
