Attosecond

An attosecond is 1×10−18 of a second (one quintillionth of a second).[1] For context, an attosecond is to a second what a second is to about 31.71 billion years.[2][3]

The word "attosecond" is formed by the prefix atto and the unit second. Atto- was derived from the Danish word for eighteen (atten).[4] Its symbol is as.

An attosecond is equal to 1000 zeptoseconds, or ​1⁄1000 of a femtosecond. Because the next higher SI unit for time is the femtosecond (10−15 seconds), durations of 10−17 s and 10−16 s will typically be expressed as tens or hundreds of attoseconds:

Times which can be expressed in attoseconds:

  • 0.35 attoseconds: the time it takes for light to travel the diameter of a hydrogen atom.
  • 24 attoseconds: the atomic unit of time[5]
  • 43 attoseconds: the shortest pulses of laser light yet created[6]
  • 53 attoseconds: the second-shortest pulses of laser light created[7][8]
  • 82 attoseconds (approximately): half-life of beryllium-8, maximum time available for the triple-alpha process for the synthesis of carbon and heavier elements in stars
  • 84 attoseconds: the approximate half-life of a neutral pion[9]
  • 100 attoseconds: fastest-ever view of molecular motion[10][11]
  • 320 attoseconds: estimated time it takes electrons to transfer between atoms[12][13]

See also

References
  1. "attosecond". Memidex/WordNet Dictionary/Thesaurus. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  2. Electron Motion Filmed, 28 Feb. 2008
  3. Exploring "Attosecond" Time. Visualising an Attosecond... How short is an attosecond?
  4. atto- [A toh] (Danish or Norwegian: eighteen; a decimal prefix used in the international metric system for measurements). Wordinfo.info (2007-04-05). Retrieved on 2011-01-23.
  5. "2018 CODATA Value: atomic unit of time". The NIST Reference on Constants, Units, and Uncertainty. NIST. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  6. Gaumnitz, Thomas; Jain, Arohi; Pertot, Yoann; Huppert, Martin; Jordan, Inga; Ardana-Lamas, Fernando; Wörner, Hans Jakob (30 October 2017). "Streaking of 43-attosecond soft-X-ray pulses generated by a passively CEP-stable mid-infrared driver". Optics Express. 25 (22): 27506–27518. doi:10.1364/OE.25.027506. hdl:20.500.11850/211882. ISSN 1094-4087.
  7. Li, Jie; Ren, Xaoming; et al. (4 August 2017). "53-attosecond X-ray pulses reach the carbon K-edge". Nature Communications. 8 (1). doi:10.1038/s41467-017-00321-0. PMC 5543167. PMID 28775272.
  8. Watching Quantum Mechanics in Action: Researchers Create World Record Laser Pulse – 4 September 2012 – ScienceDaily. www.ScienceDaily.com. Retrieved on 2012-09-04.
  9. C. Amsler et al. (Particle Data Group), PL B667, 1 (2008). http://pdg.lbl.gov/2008/listings/s009.pdf
  10. "Fastest view of molecular motion". BBC. 2006.
  11. Baker, S.; Robinson, J. S.; et al. (2 March 2006). "Probing Proton Dynamics in Molecules on an Attosecond Time Scale". Science. 312 (5772): 424–427. doi:10.1126/science.1123904. PMID 16513942.
  12. Merali, Zeeya (20 July 2005). "Electron timed hopping between atoms". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 11 May 2016.
  13. Föhlisch, A.; Feulner, P.; et al. (21 July 2005). "Direct observation of electron dynamics in the attosecond domain". Nature. 436 (7049): 373–376. doi:10.1038/nature03833.
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