Step 1: Understanding phases of cardiac cycle.
The cardiac cycle consists of atrial systole, ventricular systole, and joint cardiac diastole, each having a specific duration.
Step 2: Duration comparison.
Atrial systole lasts for about 0.1 second, ventricular systole lasts about 0.3 second, and joint cardiac diastole lasts about 0.4 second.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Since atrial systole has the shortest duration, the correct answer is atrial systole.