Pulse duration is the length of a single laser burst. In practice, it determines how long energy is delivered to a target and how much time heat has to spread. Very short pulses can deposit energy faster than the material can respond, which is why femtosecond systems can remove material with less thermal damage than longer pulses.
In cyber security, pulse duration matters in laser fault injection and hardware analysis. An attacker may use a tightly timed pulse to disturb a chip at a precise moment, while defenders study the same timing to harden devices against optical attacks and accidental damage. Shorter pulses can make attacks more selective, but they also demand precise focus, timing, and calibration. For both offense and defense, pulse duration helps determine whether a laser causes a clean, localized effect or unwanted collateral change.