Scientists Measure the Shortest Unit of Time Ever in ‘Zeptoseconds’
The quantity of time it takes a light particle to pass a hydrogen molecule was measured by a team of researchers to produce the smallest unit of time ever. A trillionth of a billionth of a 2nd is the unit of measurement known as a zeptoseconds. That consists of a decimal point, 20 zeroes, and a one.
In 2016, researchers were able to measure time in 850 zeptosecond increments. According to researchers, the new degree of accuracy allowed for the measurement of 247 zeptoseconds. Compared to the femtosecond, which is millionths of one billionth of a second, that is a significant improvement in accuracy. In 1999, work on femtoseconds was awarded the Nobel Prize.
How do you measure a zeptoseconds?
Zeptoseconds are used to measure how long it takes light to pass through a single hydrogen molecule, whereas femtoseconds are used to measure how long it takes chemical bonds to form and break. Richard Dorner, a physicist at Goethe University in Germany, and his colleagues used x-rays from the PETRA III particle accelerator at Deutsch Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg.
The x-rays’ energy was calibrated such that just one photon– a particle of light– could remove two electrons from the hydrogen particle. Using a tool known as a Cold Target Recoil Ion Energy Spectroscopy (COLTRIMS) reaction microscope, the team was able to quantify the interference pattern that was produced by the contact.
The device is a very sensitive particle detector that can capture atomic and molecular reactions that happen very quickly. Using the technique, the team determined the time it took light to move through the molecule to be 247 zeptoseconds. In essence, the scientists managed to measure the speed of light inside a hydrogen particle. According to Dorner, the group noticed for the first time that the electron covering and the molecule do not respond to light uniformly across the board.
Read the original article on BBC.
