Lasers have been developed which are capable of giving out pulses of light for as less as 100 attoseconds. This enables measurements in real time which are not possible by any other method whatsoever. Scientists at Berlin in the Max Born University for Short Time Spectroscopy and Non Linear Optics have successfully demonstrated such laser pulses with an error of 12 attoseconds here and there. These pulses have set a new world record for the shortest time scale measurable.
Light is nothing but an electromagnetic pulse of high frequency. For visible light, a single complete oscillation takes about 1200-2500 attoseconds. An exceedingly short laser comprises of very few of these oscillations. But the main problem with the short laser pulses is that these pulses show considerable fluctuations for the position of the field which is relative maximum to the centre of the pulse. A correctly coinciding centre has highest electric field.



