The gating durations can be very short (nanoseconds or even picoseconds). Absorption of a photon by a fluorophore takes a few picoseconds. This system used pulsed laser beams with duration in range of picoseconds. This initial charge separation occurs in less than 10 picoseconds (10 seconds). Hydrogen bonds between water molecules have an average lifetime of 10 seconds, or 10 picoseconds. This process takes place in 10 picoseconds (10 seconds). The highest performing ICCD cameras enable shutter times as short as 200 picoseconds. The shortest-lived is Mg with a half-life of 5 picoseconds. The initial stages occur within "picoseconds", with an efficiency of 100%. The maximum rise time is 300 picoseconds, and the minimum is 100 picoseconds. Absolute units such as "picoseconds" are more common in microprocessor applications.