Researchers from the Institute of Photonic Sciences generated the shortest x-ray pulse ever created, at just 19.2 attoseconds long. This is the fastest flash of light, and will enable scientists to capture how matter behaves and interacts at atomic and subatomic scales with unprecedented temporal resolution. The image captures the generation of attosecond pulses, in which ultrashort laser pulses interact with a neon gas jet. Courtesy of the Institute of Photonic Sciences. The 19.2 attosecond x-ray pulse effectively creates a camera capable of capturing electrons and other molecules, the researchers said. Flashes of light in the soft x-ray spectral range also provide fingerprinting identification, allowing scientists to track how electrons reorganize around specific atoms during reactions or phase transitions. Generating an isolated pulse this short required innovations in high-harmonic generation, advanced laser engineering, and attosecond metrology. “This new capability paves the way for breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, biology, and quantum science, enabling direct observation of processes that drive photovoltaics, catalysis, correlated materials, and emerging quantum devices,” said Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies professor Jens Biegert. This research was published in Ultrafast Science (www.doi.org/10.34133/ultrafastscience.0128).