femtosecond
/ˈfɛmtoʊˌsɛkənd/
noun
- A unit of time equal to one quadrillionth of a second (10⁻¹⁵ seconds), used to measure extremely fast events like chemical reactions or light travel.
- Light travels about 0.3 micrometers in one femtosecond.
- Scientists study chemical bonds breaking and forming on a timescale of femtoseconds.
- A femtosecond laser can capture images of molecules in motion.