Key Points
- Researchers have created the shortest pulse of light ever, lasting just 19.2 attoseconds.
- This creates the world’s fastest “camera,” capable of capturing electron motion.
- Electron dynamics are fundamental to chemistry, biology, and technology, but occur too fast to be observed with conventional tools.
- The soft X-ray pulse enables scientists to track electron behavior in real time.
Scientists have created the world’s fastest “camera,” a pulse of light so short that it can capture the incredibly fast movements of electrons. This breakthrough will enable researchers to observe fundamental chemical and biological processes unfold in real time, opening new frontiers in science and technology.
The “camera” is actually an incredibly brief pulse of soft X-ray light, lasting just 19.2 attoseconds.
An attosecond is a billionth of a billionth of a second, a timescale so short that it’s almost impossible to comprehend. This is the natural speed at which electrons—the tiny particles that determine everything from how chemical reactions happen to how electricity flows—operate.
Until now, these electron dynamics have been a mystery because they occur too rapidly for conventional tools to measure. But with this new record-breaking light pulse, scientists can finally observe processes that have never been seen before. Soft X-ray light acts as a fingerprinting tool, allowing researchers to track how electrons move and reorganize around specific atoms.
“To the best of our knowledge, we have confirmed the shortest pulse of light in the world,” said Dr. Fernando Ardana-Lamas, the lead author of the study.
This new capability is expected to lead to breakthroughs in a wide range of fields. By directly watching how electrons behave, scientists can better understand and develop new technologies in solar energy, advanced materials, and even quantum computing. As the lead researcher, Professor Jens Biegert, put it, now that the foundations are laid, “the sky is the limit.”
Source: Ultrafast Science (2025).
