picosecond
(ˈpiːkəʊ-, ˈpaɪkəʊsɛkənd)
[f. pico- + second n.1]
A unit of time equal to one million-millionth of a second.
| 1966 in Random House Dict. 1967 Electronics 6 Mar. 60/2 The..circuits..have switching speeds of 350 pico⁓seconds. 1972 Sci. Amer. Dec. 16/2 A sampling oscilloscope with a rise time..of 44 picoseconds. 1974 Nature 15 Mar. 222/2 A complete formalism now exists to do the complete physics of the first picoseconds of the big-bang origin of the universe. 1975 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 9 July 5/8 By using lasers capable of picosecond, or trillionth of a second, bursts of light and using ultra fast ‘streak’ cameras, researchers are now able to measure the conversion of light to other forms of energy in plants. |