Convert Ergs per Second to Picowatts

Convert Ergs per Second (erg/s) to Picowatts (pW) instantly and accurately.

Conversion Formula

pW = erg/s × 100000

About Ergs per Second

An erg per second (erg/s) is the CGS unit of power - exactly 10⁻⁷ W. Despite SI adoption, erg/s persists in astrophysics: the Sun's total luminosity is 3.828 × 10³³ erg/s; a peak supernova radiates ~10⁴³ erg/s - more power than the Sun emits over its 10-billion-year lifetime. X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, and neutron star accretion rates are catalogued in erg/s across decades of archival literature. 1 erg/s = 10⁻⁷ W.

About Picowatts

A picowatt (pW) is 10⁻¹² W - the power scale of the most sensitive radio receivers. GPS satellites transmit 20-50 W; by the time that signal spans 20,000 km, the received power is ~0.1 pW (−130 dBm). Radio telescopes routinely detect cosmic signals in the picowatt range. Qubit control electronics in quantum computers must resolve energy differences at picowatt scales. Photodetectors in single-photon counting mode, hard drive head read-back signals at idle, and deep-shadow solar cells also operate at picowatt levels. 1 pW = 10⁻¹² W.

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