Convert Picosecond (ps) to Second (s) instantly.
About these units
Picosecond (ps)
A picosecond equals 10⁻¹² seconds. At this timescale, even light travels only about 0.3 millimeters, making picoseconds vital in advanced optics, ultrafast laser systems, and femtochemistry. Picosecond lasers enable precision cutting in medical devices, microfabrication, and semiconductor processing. They also allow scientists to study vibrational modes of molecules and rapid electron transitions in materials. In telecommunications, picosecond precision is necessary for characterizing optical fiber dispersion, jitter, and photonic switching. At such rapid intervals, the boundaries of classical physics begin to blur, leading toward quantum mechanical interpretations of time and energy.
Second (s)
The second is the fundamental SI unit of time and the basis for nearly every modern timing system, from everyday clocks to astronomical calculations and quantum physics. Historically, the second was defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day—reflecting Earth's rotation. But because Earth's rotation is not perfectly constant, this definition proved insufficient for scientific precision. Today, the second is defined by the vibration frequency of the cesium-133 atom, specifically 9,192,631,770 oscillations of its hyperfine transition. This atomic definition gives the second extraordinary accuracy and stability, enabling technologies like GPS, satellite communications, deep-space navigation, and particle physics experiments. The second sits at the intersection of human history and cutting-edge physics: once tied to the apparent motion of the Sun, it is now anchored to a universal atomic constant, making it one of the most precisely defined units in science.