Following the work of the Bureau International Poids et Mesures (BIPM)

BIPM is the keeper of the International System of Units (SI) and the 24-hour, international reference time scale known as UTC.

The BIPM also convenes the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM). A diplomatic event, the 27th general conference is Tuesday, 15 to Friday 18 November 2022, at the Palais des Congrès de Versailles (10 rue de la Chancellerie, 78000 Versailles, Yvelines) in France.

You have to be a delegate to attend. You have to be an official representative of a member state .

We have requested through NIST and CODATA these international standards bodies name six groups of numbers between the yoctosecond and the Planck scale. This is all simple, basic math for the infinitesimal. All six groups are mathematically-defined notations and often used. The numbers start just after the already recognized (and often used) yoctosecond and go down to the smallest recognized size, the Planck Second. We are also requesting that the Planck Second be formally recognized.

Thank you. 

First email: 30 September 2022 @ 3:17 PM

Céline Fellag Ariouet
Dr. Martin Milton, Director of the BIPM

Status:
Although great planning is going into the 27th CGPM conference, it needs to go further. It appears from the Draft Resolutions that only two extensions will be considered beyond the already officially recognized yoctosecond (See your PDF document, “SI Concise summary”, page 3, Table 3. Those two extensions (and subs) are 10−27 (ronto) and 10−30 (quecto)  (page 22).  

You will miss the opportunity to officially name 10−33, 10−36, 10−39 and 10−42. The 10−42 group includes 10−44 PlanckTime.

Recommendation:
Whichever organization, probably CODATA, submitted this naming proposal, send it back and ask that they call emergency meetings to virtually gather and name these other four domains and resubmit before November 1.

You would not want to miss an opportunity to do a job well.

Background:
The naming conventions for the infinitesimal have become exquisitely important  since Frank Wilczek (Nobel, 2004) wrote a series of articles about the Planck scale for Physics Today. Very quickly, the importance of the Planck scale in theoretical physics became entirely evident to most working within these domains. 

I am available to answer any questions, but must apologize that my French has not improved since 1980 when I studied with Olivier Costa de Beauregard and Jean-Pierre Vigier at the Institut Henri Poincaré. Thank you.

Warmest regards,

Bruce

PS. Here is how these are displayed within Wikipedia:

  • One yoctosecond = 1×10-24 
  • One xonosecond = 1×10-27 (You will set a new standard with rontosecond.)
  • One vecosecond = 1×10-30 (You will set a new standard with quectosecond.)
  • One mecosecond = 1×10-33 Increasingly used and in question.
  • One duecosecond = 1×10-36 Increasingly used and in question.
  • One trecosecond 1×10-39 Increasingly used and in question.
  • One tetrecosecond = 1×10-42 Increasingly used and in question.
  • Planck Time = 5.391×10-44 

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