Revealing the Invisible: The Technology Unlocking Events in 10^-20 Seconds
In the ever-unfolding quest to observe nature’s most fleeting moments, scientists have developed groundbreaking technology capable of capturing phenomena that occur in an unimaginably brief span—on the order of attoseconds and beyond. A recent spotlight on this ultra-fast frontier highlights achievements that are reshaping our understanding of electrons in matter, quantum materials, and the microworld’s fundamental dynamics.
A Glimpse into the Attosecond Realm
An attosecond is 10^-18 of a second (0.000000000000000000001 seconds), a unit of time so brief it corresponds roughly to how long light takes to cross an atom or for electrons to move naturally within matter. This minuscule timeframe forms the natural scale at which the intricate dance of electrons shapes materials and chemical processes.
Although everyday events feel quick to us, they are extraordinarily slow compared to the rapid motions in the microscopic world. Only very recently have physicists developed instruments capable of measuring and illuminating such ultrafast processes.
Pioneering Ultra-Fast Pulses of Light
The breakthrough in attosecond science was recognized in 2023 with the Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Ferenc Krausz (Hungarian), Anne L’Huillier (French), and Pierre Agostini (French). The trio developed technology to generate incredibly brief light pulses, enabling the measurement of electron movements previously thought immeasurable.
Earlier, the BBVA Foundation’s Frontiers of Knowledge Award also honored their foundational work. Extending this frontier, the BBVA Foundation and the Royal Spanish Society of Physics recently presented the Young Researcher Award in Experimental Physics to Allan Johnson, a Canadian physicist based at Spain’s IMDEA Nanoscience Institute, for his advancements in producing ultra-fast light pulses.
Allan Johnson’s Supercharged Regime
Allan Johnson, 35, has been a rising figure in attosecond physics. Born in Ottawa and educated at Imperial College London, Johnson moved to Spain for familial reasons and now leads groundbreaking research in generating attosecond-duration X-ray pulses using what is known as the "overdriven" or supercharged regime.
This method uses exceptionally powerful lasers creating plasma “hotter than the surface of the Sun.” The plasma’s electrons are ripped free from atoms, generating attosecond pulses of X-rays. These pulses act like a precision compass, giving researchers the ability to probe the fundamental movements and interactions of electrons in complex materials.
Applications Across Science and Technology
Why does this matter? Electron dynamics lie at the heart of quantum physics—the framework explaining how nature operates on the smallest scales. These insights unveil hidden behavior in quantum materials, where electrons do not act independently but interact in ways that challenge existing models underlying modern semiconductors and computer technology.
Johnson notes practical outcomes, such as improving energy efficiency by reducing electricity losses—a significant slice of generated power is currently lost, so better understanding electron behavior could contribute meaningfully to sustainability and energy independence.
Beyond energy, the supercharged regime technology has promising applications in metrology, materials science, and even biomedical imaging. It allows the observation of cells at higher resolutions than traditional optical microscopes, enabling new perspectives in biology.
Moreover, the ability to manipulate materials on the nanometer scale—transforming their magnetic or superconducting properties—could create new classes of materials with tailor-made properties, opening future possibilities in information processing, sensors, space technologies, and neuromorphic computing inspired by the human brain.
Record-Breaking Pulses at ICFO
In parallel, researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Spain have set a new record by generating soft X-ray pulses lasting only 19.2 attoseconds—the shortest light flashes ever produced. This surpasses even the “atomic unit of time” (24.2 attoseconds), the duration it takes for an electron to orbit a hydrogen atom once, dubbed the "atomic year."
ICFO physicist Jens Biegert explains that this extraordinary achievement allows scientists to observe fundamental processes underpinning photovoltaics, catalysis, and quantum devices, with applications spanning physics, chemistry, biology, and quantum science.
Looking Forward: The Future of Ultrafast Science
Advancements in generating and applying ultrafast light pulses are rapidly moving what was once theoretical into the realm of practical technological innovation. Attosecond science provides a "window" into electronic interactions that govern much of the physical world—helping to reveal nature’s secrets and offering tools to engineer new materials and devices.
As Allan Johnson and his colleagues continue to push these boundaries, the prospect of designing materials that do not occur naturally but have unique functionalities—and unlocking previously inaccessible realms of quantum mechanics—comes closer to reality. While much remains to be explored, the path toward transformative applications in energy, computing, and medicine is now illuminated by pulses of light shorter than a billionth of a billionth of a second.
This article is based on the latest scientific reports and interviews, including insights from Allan Johnson and research teams at IMDEA Nanoscience and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), highlighting the cutting edge of attosecond technology and its implications.
