What is an attosecond?

[dlamberth]

" A group of three researchers earned the 2023 Nobel Prize in physics for work that has revolutionized how scientists study the electron — by illuminating molecules with attosecond-long flashes of light."

""Atto" is the scientific notation prefix that represents 10^-18, which is a decimal point followed by 17 zeroes and a 1. So a flash of light lasting an attosecond, or 0.000000000000000001 of a second, is an extremely short pulse of light."

"... there are approximately as many attoseconds in one second as there are seconds in the age of the universe."

What is an attosecond — and why did this year's Nobel Prize in physics depend upon them?

A billion billion attoseconds just passed while you read this. Why is such a tiny timeframe crucial to this year's Nobel physics prize winners?

www.livescience.com

 

[MyOwnSockPuppet]

It's a candidate for the shortest measure of time, the other being the New York Second, which is the length of time between the light turning green and the taxi behind you honking it's horn.

 

[Green Sun]

There's even shorter units of time, too.

In terms of experiments, there's been measurements ranging into the zeptosecond range, or 1/1000th of a attosecond. 247 zeptoseconds was the measurement time for a photon to travel the distance of molecular hydrogen.
At the very bottom of the chart, past the prefixes of the SI system, under zeptoseconds, yoctoseconds (10^-24 seconds), rontoseconds (10^-27), and quectoseconds (10^-30), comes the Planck time.

5.391×10^-44 seconds - or written out, 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000005391 seconds.

Currently, this is considered to be the theoretically shortest measurable time interval, which is equal to the time it takes for light to travel a distance of 1 Planck length (1.6163×10^(-35) meters) in a vacuum.

All of this goes a good deal above my head, while I understand the general idea and framework, the actual meaning of the various Planck units and their impact on theoretical physics is left better explained by the actual scientists.

 

[Occams Barber]

All of this goes a good deal above my head, while I understand the general idea and framework, the actual meaning of the various Planck units and their impact on theoretical physics is left better explained to the actual scientists.

In some parts of the UK, a Plank (or Short Plank) has also been adopted as an informal measurement of thickness as in:

He's as thick as two Short Planks.​

​

OB

 

[sjastro]

In some parts of the UK, a Plank (or short plank) has also been adopted as an informal measurement of thickness as in:

He's as thick as two short planks.​

​

OB

The correct definition is Planck length = 10⁻³⁵ m.
Experimental physicists have shown individuals as thick as two Planck lengths have an attention span not greater than one attosecond or 10⁻¹⁸ of a second.

 

[Occams Barber]

The correct definition is Planck length = 10⁻³⁵ m.
Experimental physicists have shown individuals as thick as two Planck lengths have an attention span not greater than one attosecond or 10⁻¹⁸ of a second.

Thank goodness we have a scientist on the Forum who is able to explain these deeply technical concepts.

OB

 

[Halbhh]

" A group of three researchers earned the 2023 Nobel Prize in physics for work that has revolutionized how scientists study the electron — by illuminating molecules with attosecond-long flashes of light."

""Atto" is the scientific notation prefix that represents 10^-18, which is a decimal point followed by 17 zeroes and a 1. So a flash of light lasting an attosecond, or 0.000000000000000001 of a second, is an extremely short pulse of light."

"... there are approximately as many attoseconds in one second as there are seconds in the age of the universe."

What is an attosecond — and why did this year's Nobel Prize in physics depend upon them?

A billion billion attoseconds just passed while you read this. Why is such a tiny timeframe crucial to this year's Nobel physics prize winners?

www.livescience.com

Atta second! While this of course is vastly longer than the planck time scale and the inflation period of the Universe (The inflationary epoch is believed to have lasted from 10−36 seconds to between 10−33 and 10−32 seconds after the Big Bang. ), it's still pretty prompt, right.