Attosecond facts for kids

An attosecond (as) is an incredibly tiny unit of time. Imagine a second, then divide it into a quintillion (that's a 1 with 18 zeros after it!) tiny pieces. One of those pieces is an attosecond. We can also write it as 10⁻¹⁸ seconds. It's one of the shortest measurements of time we use in science!

What is an Attosecond?

An attosecond is a period of time that is extremely short. To give you an idea, it's much, much shorter than a femtosecond, which is 10⁻¹⁵ seconds. Scientists use attoseconds to measure events that happen super fast, like how electrons move inside atoms.

How Short is an Attosecond?

It's hard to imagine how short an attosecond really is. Here are some examples to help you understand:

• 1 attosecond: Light travels incredibly fast, but in just one attosecond, light can only move a distance equal to the length of about three hydrogen atoms placed side-by-side.
• 1 attosecond: When a tiny particle hits the center of an atom (called the atomic nucleus), the nucleus starts to react in about 1 attosecond. This shows how quickly things happen at the atomic level.

Electrons in Motion

Electrons are tiny particles that orbit the nucleus of an atom. They move incredibly fast!

• 150 attoseconds: It takes an electron about 150 attoseconds to complete one full circle around the nucleus of an atom. This is like their "year" in the atomic world.
• 320 attoseconds: When an electron jumps from one atom to another, this amazing leap happens in about 320 attoseconds. This quick jump is important for many chemical reactions.

These examples help us understand just how fast things can happen in the world of atoms and particles. Attoseconds are key to studying these super-fast events.

Related pages

• Click this link for times shorter than one attosecond.

See also

In Spanish: Attosegundo para niños