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An attosecond is a tiny fraction of time, specifically one quintillionth of a second.
It is used by physicists to measure extremely fast events, such as the movement of electrons within atoms. Because these subatomic processes happen almost instantly, researchers need extremely short bursts of energy to observe them.
Researchers have generated record-breaking X-ray flashes lasting just 300 attoseconds and focused into a microscopic area.
Researchers have demonstrated a fundamental space-time limit in quantum physics, showing that an electron's location and timing cannot both be known with absolute precision.
