free electron

noun

, Physics.

1. an electron that is not attached to an atom or molecule and is free to respond to outside forces.

free electron

noun

1. any electron that is not attached to an ion, atom, or molecule and is free to move under the influence of an applied electric or magnetic field

Word History and Origins

Origin of free electron¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

The team used a powerful laser, called a soft X-ray free electron laser, to emit ultrafast pulses of illumination at the speed of femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second.

From Science Daily

"What a fantastic scenario: Using free electrons to store CO2 and converting it to revenue-generating products is a concept I never would have imagined 10 years back, but this is just a start."

From Science Daily

In momentum space, free electrons are found in the local minima and maxima of the energy landscape, namely at points where the conduction and valence bands meet.

From Science Daily

The laser light can free electrons to momentarily vacate a desk, or 'hole' as physicists call them.

From Science Daily

This kind of accelerator could also be used to drive another device called an X-ray free electron laser, which could take slow-motion movies of processes on the atomic or molecular scale.

From Science Daily