An attosecond (10⁻¹⁸ seconds) corresponds to the natural timescale of electron motion in matter. In 2023, the Nobel Prize in Physics recognized experimental methods for generating and measuring attosecond light pulses, highlighting their ability to effectively “film” electrons in real time. The next frontier of attosecond science is extending these capabilities into the X-ray regime. X-rays provide element specificity and atomic-scale sensitivity, making them powerful probes of ultrafast dynamics in complex materials and chemical systems. However, generating high-power attosecond X-ray pulses at high repetition rates remains a major challenge.
