Research & Publications

Whitepapers and Insights

The Tesseract is built on a foundation of peer-reviewed science and rigorous engineering. Explore the research papers, technical documents, and thought leadership that underpin our mission.

Technical Publications

Our commitment to scientific rigor means that every claim we make about the Memocube is backed by published research. The foundational work on five-dimensional optical data storage in fused silica was conducted at the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre and has been published in leading journals including Physical Review Letters and Science Advances. These papers detail the physics of femtosecond laser inscription, the thermal stability of nanostructured silica, and the theoretical limits of data density in crystalline media.

Five-Dimensional Optical Recording in Fused Silica

University of Southampton, Optoelectronics Research Centre

Demonstrates the encoding of digital data in five dimensions within fused silica using femtosecond laser writing. Reports thermal stability of data at room temperature for periods exceeding 13.8 billion years.

Ultrafast Laser Nanostructuring for Permanent Data Storage

Applied Physics Letters

Explores the mechanisms of nanograting formation in fused silica under femtosecond laser irradiation, with implications for storage density optimization and read/write speed improvements.

Radiation Hardness of Nanostructured Fused Silica for Space Applications

ESA Technical Reports

Evaluates the performance of inscribed fused silica under simulated cosmic radiation conditions, confirming data integrity over exposure levels equivalent to millions of years in interstellar space.

The Tesseract: Architecture for Permanent Preservation

DARI Foundation Technical Whitepaper

A comprehensive overview of the Tesseract facility’s design principles, materials selection, environmental resilience features, and long-term maintenance-free operation strategy.

Thought Leadership

Beyond the technical research, we publish essays and insights on the broader questions that motivate our work. What is the value of permanent memory in a culture of ephemeral content? How should humanity decide what to preserve? What ethical obligations do we have to future generations? These publications draw on perspectives from philosophers, historians, technologists, and cultural leaders, and are available to patrons and the public as part of our commitment to open intellectual discourse.

We regularly update this collection as new research is published and new insights emerge. To be notified of new publications, subscribe to our newsletter in the footer below or contact your concierge to receive updates directly.

Deep Dive: Curated Resources

The Tesseract draws on decades of research in optical physics, long-term preservation, AI alignment, and interstellar engineering. Below is a curated selection of videos, papers, and institutions that provide deeper context for each pillar of our mission.

5D Optical Data Storage

The foundational technology behind the Memocube — femtosecond laser nanostructuring in fused quartz, pioneered at the University of Southampton.

Research Paper

Seemingly Unlimited Lifetime Data Storage in Nanostructured Glass

Physical Review Letters · University of Southampton

Demonstrates digital data encoding in five dimensions within fused silica using femtosecond laser writing. Reports thermal stability exceeding 13.8 billion years at room temperature.

Research Paper

Laser Writing in Glass for Dense, Fast and Efficient Archival Data Storage

Nature

Reports 4.8 TB capacity in a 120 mm glass disc, achieving 1.59 Gbit/mm³ density across 301 layers — a breakthrough in practical storage capacity.

Research Paper

100-Layer Error-Free 5D Optical Data Storage by Ultrafast Laser Nanostructuring in Glass

Laser & Photonics Reviews

Demonstrates 100-layer 5D storage with 100% readout accuracy in silica glass, validating the multi-layer approach critical to high-density archival.

Research Paper

Efficient Ultrafast Laser Writing with Elliptical Polarization

Light: Science & Applications

Shows how elliptical polarization reduces pulse energy requirements and increases recording speed, making large-scale 5D inscription practical.

University Announcement

Eternal 5D Data Storage Could Record the History of Humankind

University of Southampton

Official announcement of 360 TB per disc capacity with virtually unlimited lifetime at room temperature — the “Superman memory crystal.”

News

Human Genome Stored on ‘Everlasting’ Memory Crystal

University of Southampton, 2024

The complete three-billion-character human genome encoded onto a coin-sized 5D disc — a landmark demonstration of the technology’s real-world readiness.

Company

SPhotonix — 5D Memory Crystal Technology

SPhotonix (University of Southampton spinout)

The commercial entity bringing 5D optical storage from laboratory to production, making the Tesseract’s manufacturing pipeline possible.

Long-Term Preservation & Civilizational Archiving

The Tesseract belongs to a broader tradition of humanity’s efforts to preserve knowledge across deep time. These projects and institutions share our conviction that the future deserves to inherit what the past has built.

Institution

The Long Now Foundation

longnow.org

Organization fostering long-term thinking through projects like the 10,000-Year Clock and over 400 seminars on civilization-scale ideas.

Facility

Arctic World Archive

arcticworldarchive.org

Data preservation facility in Svalbard storing humanity’s most valuable records on film reels designed to last 500–1,000 years in a demilitarized Arctic vault.

Project

Memory of Mankind

memory-of-mankind.com

Time capsule project storing information on ceramic tablets resistant to 1,200 °C in an Austrian salt mine two kilometers deep.

Foundation

Arch Mission Foundation

archmission.org

Non-profit creating billion-year backups of human knowledge using nanofiche, 5D quartz crystals, and synthetic DNA — including payloads launched into space.

AI Alignment & Human Values

The Tesseract is designed to serve as a reference archive for any intelligence that inherits our world. These resources explore why that matters.

Video · Stanford Talk

AI Alignment: Why It’s Hard, and Where to Start

Eliezer Yudkowsky · MIRI

A foundational talk at Stanford explaining the fundamental difficulties of ensuring advanced AI systems act in accordance with human intentions.

Video · TED Talk

What Happens When Our Computers Get Smarter Than We Are?

Nick Bostrom · Future of Humanity Institute

Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom on the risks and implications of machine superintelligence — the scenario the Tesseract is partially designed to address.

Video · TED Talk

3 Principles for Creating Safer AI

Stuart Russell · UC Berkeley

Russell’s vision for human-compatible AI built on uncertainty about human preferences — a framework where authentic human stories become essential training data.

Research Paper

AI Alignment: A Comprehensive Survey

arXiv

Comprehensive overview defining AI alignment around four principles: Robustness, Interpretability, Controllability, and Ethicality.

Research Paper

The Alignment Problem from a Deep Learning Perspective

arXiv

Examines how advanced AI models trained on current methods could develop misaligned goals — and why grounding in authentic human data matters.

Institution

Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI)

intelligence.org

The organization that founded the AI alignment field, focused on the mathematical theory of trustworthy reasoning for autonomous AI systems.

Community

Alignment Forum

alignmentforum.org

The primary discussion forum for technical AI safety research — covering control, interpretability, and alignment approaches from leading researchers.

Institution

Center for AI Safety (CAIS)

safe.ai

Research organization exclusively focused on mitigating societal-scale risks from AI, with a multidisciplinary approach to safety.

Interstellar Missions & Space Archiving

The Tesseract’s expeditionary program builds on decades of interstellar ambition. These resources explore the science and vision behind sending human knowledge beyond Earth.

Initiative

Breakthrough Starshot

Breakthrough Initiatives

$100 million research program developing light-sail nanocrafts to reach Alpha Centauri at 20% light speed — the kind of mission the Tesseract’s probes are designed for.

Space Payload

Arch Mission — 5D Optical Memory in Space

Arch Mission Foundation

The Foundation’s use of 5D quartz crystal for space-based archival, including payloads already launched beyond Earth — proving the medium survives launch conditions.

Documentary

The Farthest — Voyager in Space

PBS

Emmy Award-winning documentary about the Voyager mission and its Golden Record — the first interstellar archive, and the spiritual predecessor to what the Tesseract aims to achieve at scale.

Technical Article

Eternal 5D Data Storage via Ultrafast-Laser Writing in Glass

SPIE · International Society for Optics and Photonics

Technical article on radiation-hardened 5D storage, confirming data integrity under conditions equivalent to millions of years in interstellar space.

This collection is continuously updated as new research, talks, and projects emerge. If you know of a resource that should be listed here, contact your concierge or reach out to our research team.

Science You Can Trust

The Memocube is not built on promises. It is built on peer-reviewed physics. See for yourself.

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