Scientists measure the smallest unit of time so far

Millisecond is one thousandth of a second, a billionth of a nanosecond. Now scientists have presented one unit of time more, in relation to which both previous seem like an eternity.They succeeded in measuring zepto second, i.e. a billionth part of a billionth part of a second.
Laser physicists in Munich fired powerful ultraviolet light pulse in helium atom in order to arouse its electrons and cause release of one of them in a process called photoemission.
At the same time, they fired an infrared laser pulse to detect the moment when an electron leaves an atom.Experiments have enabled scientists also to see how photon energy is distributed between two electrons of helium in the moments before one of them is separated.
That tiny moment in time will allow them to understand better quantum behavior of atoms.

nanosecond

millisecond

zepto second

Munich

electrons

atoms

photo emission

University of technology in Munich

Martin Schulze

Ludvig Maximilian Munich

Institute for quantum optis Max Plank