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 made 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:

• (Shorter time: zeptosecond)

Times which can be expressed in attoseconds:

• 1 attosecond: the time it takes for light to travel the length of two hydrogen atoms
• 12 attoseconds: record for shortest time interval measured as of 12 May 2010^[5]
• 24 attoseconds: the atomic unit of time
• 67 attoseconds: the shortest pulses of laser light yet created^[6]
• 100 attoseconds: fastest ever view of molecular motion^[7][8]
• 200 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
• 320 attoseconds: estimated time it takes electrons to transfer between atoms.^[9][10]
• (Longer time: femtosecond)

See also

• Attophysics
• Flash (comics)

References

1. "attosecond". Memidex/WordNet Dictionary/Thesaurus. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
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. "12 attoseconds is the world record for shortest controllable time". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
6. Watching Quantum Mechanics in Action: Researchers Create World Record Laser Pulse – 4 September 2012 – ScienceDaily. www.ScienceDaily.com. Retrieved on 2012-09-04.
7. "Fastest view of molecular motion". BBC. 2006.
8. 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.
9. Merali, Zeeya (20 July 2005). "Electron timed hopping between atoms". New Scientist. Archived from the original on 2016-05-11.
10. 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.